6£(?0 


7 

UNIVERSITY  OF  CALIFORNIA. 


GIFT  OF 


DANIEL    C.    OILMAN. 


REPORT  OF  COMMANDER  W.   F.  LYNCH, 

IN  RELATION  TO  HIS  MISSION  TO  THE  COAST  OF  AFRICA. 


U.  S.  Steamer  Alleghany, 

Potomac  River,  October  17,  1853. 
Sir  :  Herewith  I  respectfully  submit  my  official  report  of  a  mission 
to  Africa,  with  appendix,  maps,  and  sketches. 

I  have  the  honor  to  be  your  obedient  servant, 

W.  F.  LYNCH,  Commander. 
Hon.  J.  C.  Dobbin,  Secretary  of  the  Navy. 

Philadelphia,  September  5,  1853. 

Sir  :  In  obedience  to  an  order  of  the  department,  dated  October 
25,  1852,  I  left  the  United  States  on  the  13th  of  November  following, 
for  the  west  coast  of  Africa. 

Touching  at  TenerifTe  for  information,  I  proceeded  thence  direct  to 
the  coast,  in  order  to  form  some  idea  of  the  distance  inland  to,  and  the 
trending  of,  the  nearest  and  most  northern  mountain  range. 

Africa — represented  as  torrid,  pestilential,  savage,  and  mysterious, 
reserved  and  guarded  by  the  most  terrible  and  resistless  influences  of 
nature — has  been  truly  described  as  nowhere  letting  into  its  bosom  the 
waters  of  the  ocean,  and,  in  like  manner,  projecting  into  the  sea  no  im- 
portant peninsulas.  From  the  stra  ts  of  Gibraltar  to  the  Cameroons, 
the  tame  monotony  of  the  coast  is  interrupted  but  by  occasional  isolated 
promontories,  which  can  only  be  termed  lofty  by  comparison. 

From  Cape  Cautin  to  the  Great  Desert  the  principal  elevations  are 
"Ghebel  Hadid"  and  the  "Heights  3f  Idantenan,"  and  from  the  north 
boundaiy  of  the  desert  to  Cape  Verde,  "Los  Matillos"  and  the  "Hills 
of  Cintra"  alone  break  the  uniformity  of  a  low  and  sandy  coast. 

On  the  13th  of  January,  of  the  present  year,  I  saw  Cape  Verde,  the 
westernmost  point  of  Africa,  (in  north  latitude  14°  45',)  which  was  first 
discovered  by  the  Portuguese  navicator,  Fernandes,  about  the  middle 
of  the  fifteenth  century.  In  each  direction,  north  and  south,  the  coast 
stretched. beyond  the  line  of  vision,  in  a  narrow  strip  of  sand,  fringed 
with  green;  except  the  extremity  of  the  cape  which  threw  up  two  de- 
tached hillocks,  of  inconsiderable  elevation,  resembling  islets  in  the 
distance.  On  the  hillocks  were  many  of  the  baobab  or  monkey  tree, 
(Adansonia  digitata,)  which  gives  to  them  that  verdant  appearance 
from  whence  the  cape  derives  its  name.  This  tree  is  liable  to  be  at- 
tacked by  a  fungus,  which  vegetates  without  destroying  life,  and  ren- 
ders the  part  attacked  as  soft  as  pith. 

The  trunks  of  such  trees  are  hollowed  into  chambers  by  the  natives, 
in  which  they  suspend  the  dead  bodies  of  those  to  whom  burial  has 
been  denied.  There  they  become  mummies,  dried  and  well  preserved, 
without  being  embalmed.  This  is  somewhat  analogous  to  the  custom 
of  our  Omaha  Indians,  who  place  the  bodies  of  the  dead  in  the  crotches 
of  trees.     Like  all  other  plants  of  the  mahacae  order,  the  baobab  is 


H.   Doc.    1 


emollient  and  mucilaginous,  and  Europeans  sometimes  use  it  as  a 
febrifuge  and  tonic.  The  fruit  is  large,  oblong,  pulpy,  full  of  seeds, 
and  of  an  agreeable  acid  flavor;  and  its  juice,  when  sweetened,  is 
drunk  as  a  specific  in  putrid  and  pestilential  fevers.  The  mandingoes 
convey  it  to  the  southern  and  eastern  districts  of  Africa,  and  through 
the  Arabs  it  reaches  Morocco  and  Egypt.  The  ashes  of  the  fruit, 
mixed  with  palm  oil,  serve  for  soap.  The  flowers  are  large,  white, 
and  handsome ;  and  in  their  many  petals  and  violet  mass  of  stamens, 
bear  some  resemblance  to  the  white  poppy.  Both  flowers  and  fruit 
are  pendant.  The  baobab  attains  the  greatest  age  and  is  the  largest 
tree  known  in  the  world,  its  trunk  measuring,  sometimes,  ninety  feet 
in  circumference.  At  one  year  old  its  diameter  is  one,  and  its  height 
five  inches;  at  thirty  years  its  idiameter  is  two  feet,  and  its  height 
about  twenty;  at  one  thousand  years  its  diameter  is  twelve  or  fourteen, 
and  its  height  about  sixty  feet ;  and  at  five  thousand  years  its  lateral 
has  so  far  outstripped  its  perpendicular  growth  that  the  diameter  will 
be  thirty  feet,  while  its  height  scarce  exceeds  seventy  feet.  The  roots 
are  of  a  most  extraordinary  length,  and  in  a  tree  seventy-seven  feet  in 
circumference  the  top  root  meas  ired  one  hundred  and  ten  feet.  The 
foliage  is  very  abundant,  and  thj  drooping  boughs,  with  their  mass  of 
green,  almost  hide  the  stem — presenting  a  hemispherical  mass  sixty  to 
seventy  feet  high  and  four  hundrtd  feet  in  circumference.  Rene  Caille 
describes  one  he  saw  in  the  vajley  of  the  Niger,  which,  in  size,  must 
have  surpassed  the  celebrated  ^Iain-tree  of  Lycia,  in  the  hollow  of 
which  Licinius  Mutianus  feastedjtwenty-one  guests. 

Above  the  Senegal,  on  the  dejsert  of  Zahara,  the  line  of  sand  is  no 

from  the  powerful  refraction  there 

the  water  with  the  land  as  to  present 

On  that  coast  perished  the  hap- 


longer  bordered  with  green  ;  an 
ensues  a  mirage,  which  so  blend 
the  appearance  of  an  illimitable 
less  crew  of  the  Medusa. 

It  was  a  soft,  golden  morning 


rhen  we  made  the  land  ;  but  the  sun 
rose  yellow  and  dim,  enveloped  n  a  bank  of  vapor.  In  the  space  of 
an  hour  we  had  bidden  adieu  to  he  fresh  wind  that  prevails  from  30° 
north  latitude  to  this  parallel,  and  exchanged  the  agitated  but  not  angry 
waves  which  curled  before  it  for  hot  and  stifling  airs  and  a  scarce  un- 
dulating sea,  curtained  with  a  nist  formed  of  its  own  evaporation. 
The  northeast  trade- wind,  so  codl  and  invigorating,  had  given  place  to 
the  dry  and  parching  harmattan,  which,  under  its  other  names  of 
samiel,  simoon,  and  sirocco,  sweeps  across  the  deserts  of  Arabia  and 
Africa.  During  this  wind,  whicji,  in  its  flaws  of  heat,  resembles  more 
the  blast  of  a  furnace  than  living  air,  the  atmosphere  is  hot,  dry,  and 
rarified  to  an  almost  insufferable  idegree,  and  sometimes  becomes  suf- 
focating from  the  clouds  of  dust  (and  sand  driven  before  it.  But  we 
were  not  sensible  of  the  strong  aromatic  odor  wafted  from  the  land, 
which  regaled  the  senses  of  Hanno  and  his  Carthagenian  mariners  in 
their  voyage  of  discovery  upwards  of  two  thousand  years  ago. 

A  few  hours  after  passing  Cape  Verde  I  arrived  at  Goree,  a  volcanic 
island,  formed  of  basalt  and  sand,  which,  with  some  settlements  on  the 
Senegal,  three  degrees  to  the  north,  the  French  have  held  since  1816. 
This  island  is  about  half  a  mile  long  and  a  quarter  wide.  It  is  strongly 
fortified;    and,  from  its  natural  position,  the  fortress  on  its  summit 


H.   Doc.  1.  3 

is  almost  impregnable — three  sides  being  perpendicular  and  washed 
by  the  sea,  and  the  fourth  a  precipitous  ascent  from  the  town. 
The  population  of  the  town  and  garrison  is  estimated  at  from  six  to 
eight  thousand.  Besides  the  fort  on  the  summit  of  the  hill,  the  place 
is  strongly  fortified,  but  could  not  long  withstand  a  siege,  as  it  is  almost 
wholly  dependent  on  the  adjacent  main  for  wood  and  water.  It  is  the 
great  entrepot  of  the  French  colonial  possessions  in  West  Africa,  north 
of  the  equator. 

There  were  in  port,  when  we  arrived,  seven  or  eight  French,  one 
American,  and  two  English  merchant  vessels — besides  a  French  squad- 
ron of  six  sail,  mostly  steamers.  The  latter  were  preparing  for  a  hos- 
tile expedition  against  a  tribe  to  the  south. 

The  river  Senegal  is  supposed  to  rise  in  the  mountains  of  Foota 
Jallon,  and  on  the  eastern  slope  of  the  same  range  it  is  surmised  that 
the  Niger  has  its  source.  In  about  15°  north  latitude,  the  Senegal  is 
joined  by  several  tributaries,  and,  after  passing  Galam  and  the  falls  of 
Feloo,  makes  a  circuitous  bend  to  the  northwest  along  the  borders  of 
the  desert,  and,  after  a  course  of  upwards  of  900  miles,  empties  into 
the  Atlantic  at  Fort  St.  Louis.  In  its  lower  course,  it  flows  between 
the  Great  Desert  on  the  one  hand,  aud  a  vast  alluvial  plain  on  the 
other,  and  becomes  so  swollen  during  the  periodic  rains,  and  sweeps 
with  such  a  resistless  current  into  the  sea,  that  the  latter,  which,  in  the 
dry  season,  impregnates  the  river  for  upwards  of  a  hundred  miles  from 
its  mouth,  is  driven  back  with  so  fearful  a  recoil,  that  for  a  mile  with- 
out the  bar  is  one  wide  sheet  of  foam.  At  such  times,  entrance  is  im- 
possible ;  hence  the  selection  of  the  anchorage  of  Goree,  which  is  at 
all  times  accessible. 

Where  it  flows  by  Tuabo,  the  capital  of  Lower  Galam,  the  Sene- 
gal, in  the  rainy  season,  presents  a  magnificent  sight.  It  fills  the  plain, 
and  rushes  at  the  rate  of  six  knots  an  hour  by  the  bases  of  the  hills, 
which  are  clothed  to  their  summits  with  the  richest  verdure,  while  the 
surfice  of  the  stream  is  dotted  with  uprooted  trees,  on  which  are  seen 
standing  large  aigrettes,  whose  snow-white  feathers  reflect  the  rays  of 
a  brilliant  sun,  and  form  a  pleasant  contrast  to  the  green  reeds  around 
them  and  the  brown  trunks  of  the  trees  whereon  they  stand. 

The  principal  articles  of  export  from  this  region  are  the  gutta-percha 
and  the  gum-senegal — the  latter  an  exudation  from  a  species  of  acacia, 
the  bark  of  which  is  split  by  desiccation  during  the  prevalence  of  the 
harmattan.  Towards  the  close  of  the  last  century,  this  gum  was  dis- 
covered to  be  more  mucilaginous  and  adhesive  than  that  from  Arabia, 
which,  in  the  arts,  it  has  almost  wholly  superseded.  There  are  now 
upwards  of  two  millions  of  pounds  exported  annually,  mostly  to  France. 

The  French  have  settlements  far  up  the  Senegal,  and  control  the 
trade  of  which  it  is  the  outlet;  although  they  are  not  masters  of  the 
country — a  country  presenting  a  vast  and  interesting  field  for  explora- 
tion. In  its  far  interior,  in  the  midst  of  barbarous  nations,  a  semi- 
civilized  tribe  has  been  recently  discovered,  which  has  some  religious  no- 
tions analogous  to  the  Christian,  and  possess  an  alphabet  and  a  mode  of 
writing,  which,  from  their  account,  they  derived  from  a  white  stranger 
who  died  among  them,  and  whose  memory  is  revered  as  that  of  a  sage. 


4  H.   Doc.   1. 

It  was  doubtless  the  traveller  Compagnon,  who,  it  is  known,  pene- 
trated as  far  as  the  wooded  desert  of  Simboni. 

Except  the  island  of  Goree,  and  the  hillocks  crowned  with  foliage 
beyond  it,  which  mark  the  peninsula  of  Cape  Verde,  there  was  pre- 
sented to  the  eye,  in  every  direction,  inland  and  along  the  coast,  a 
monotonous  level  of  green,  relieved  here  and  there  by  the  feathery  tuft 
of  a  majestic  palm.  These  were  the  only  interruptions  to  the  in-shore 
horizon. 

From  Goree  I  proceeded  down  the  coast,  eighty  miles,  to  the 
Gambia;  the  land  throughout  the  entire  distance  being  low  and  densely 
wooded,  except  in  one  place,  where  a  range  of  sand-hills  presented 
perpendicular  faces  washed  by  the  sea.  Lying  at  anchor  in  the  Gambia 
was  the  United  States  ship  John  Adams,  rendering  assistance  to  an 
American  merchant  vessel  in  distress.  I  felt  much  relieved  when  I 
descried  pur  ensign  at  her  peak.  Her  presence  relieved  me  from  the 
necessity,  for  which  I  had  prepared  by  the  purchase  of  charts  and  in- 
struments, for  making  my  reconnoissance  in  a  small  coasting  vessel 
manned  by  Africans.  It  was  with  infinite  satisfaction,  therefore,  that 
I  grasped  the  hand  of  her  manly  and  most  excellent  commander,  and 
exchanged  greetings  with  her  intelligent  officers,  and  looked  upon  her 
snow-white  decks,  her  splendid  battery,  and  clean,  cheerful,  and  well- 
disciplined  crew. 

I  presented  to  Commander  Barron  the  order  of  the  department,  and 
he  professed  his  readiness  to  carty  out  its  views.  I  likewise  informed 
him  of  the  application  I  made  just  prior  to  my  departure,  asking  to  be 
allowed  to  extend  the  reconnoisfeance  to  the  river  Gaboon,  near  the 
equator,  and  showed  him  the  reply  of  the  department  granting  the  per- 
mission, if  it  could  be  done  in  time.  With  every  disposition  to  facilitate 
my  movements,  Commander  B.  seated  that  he  could  take  me  along  the 
entire  coast  of  Liberia,  stopping  at  every  place  I  might  deem  it  neces- 
sary to  examine;  or  he  could  proceed  with  me  direct  to  the  Gaboon, 
and  from  thence  return  to  Porto  jraya;  but  that  he  had  not  on  board  a 
sufficient  quantity  of  provisions  fir  both  services. 

As  my  orders  were  positive  respecting  Liberia,  and  only  contingent 
as  to  the  Gaboon,  and  as  I  had  an  expectation,  scarce  short  of  cer- 
tainty, that  in  six  weeks  the  sloo$  Marion  or  the  steamer  Vixen  would 
be  on  the  coast,  I  accepted  his  fijst  proposition. 

Like  the  Senegal,  the  Gambia  has  its  source  in  the  mountains  of 
Footah  Jallon,  near  that  of  the  [Falerne,  one  of  the  tributaries  of  the 
former.  It  is  a  powerful  and  rapid  stream,  and  is  navigable  four  hun- 
dred miles  to  the  falls  of  Barriconda.  Its  whole  course  is  about  seven 
hundred  miles,  setting  first  to  the  northwest,  and  then  to  the  west,  and 
falls  into  the  Atlantic  at  north  latitude  13°.  The  Gambia  is  a  mag- 
nificent water-road,  which  has  never  been  thoroughly  explored  by 
Europeans ;  but  there  is  a  current  belief  that,  by  one  of  its  tributaries, 
it  is  connected  with  the  Senegal. 

During  the  dry  season,  from  November  until  May,  the  influence  of 
the  tide  is  perceptible  some  distance  up;  but  while  the  rains  prevail, 
and  for  several  weeks  after,  a  mighty  volume  of  water  sweeps  down  in 
an  almost  resistless  current,  and  after  overflowing  its  lower  banks  it 
encounters  the  long  and  narrow  island  of  St.  Mary's,  which  deflects  it 


H.   Doc.  1.  5 

a  little  to  the  north,  when  it  spreads  out  and  becomes  lost  in  the  sea. 
The  island,  but  slightly  elevated  above  the  surface  of  the  water,  forms 
one  side  of  the  noble  estuary,  and  lies  lengthwise  close  adjacent  to  the 
southern  shore.  The  two  low,  sandy  shores  are  ten  miles  distant  at 
the  river's  mouth,  where  an  extensive  shoal  forms  two  separate  channels. 

On  the  north  extremity  of  the  island  of  St.  Mary's,  which  is  only  one 
foot  above  high-water  mark,  just  at  the  elbow  round  which  sweeps  the 
river,  is  the  town  of  Bathurst,  an  English  commercial  and  military  set- 
tlement. 

The  soil  of  the  island  is  sand  and  gravel,  intermixed  with  a  brown 
oxide  of  iron;  and,  judging  from  the  overgrown  weeds  in  the  outskirts 
of  the  town  and  the  size  of  the  vegetables  within  it,  is  more  prolific  than, 
from  its  appearance,  one  would  suppose.  Towards  the  main  land,  the 
soil  is  evidently  an  alluvial  deposite  from  above. 

Bathurst  is  a  very  handsome  place,  containing  some  twelve  or  four- 
teen fine  houses  built  of  stone,  the  residences  of  the  merchants,  besides 
the  hospital,  the  government  house,  and  the  barracks  for  the  accommo- 
dation of  English  officers  and  black  soldiers — the  non-commissioned 
officers  and  privates  of  British  regiments  serving  in  Africa  being  re- 
cruited from  the  negroes  of  the  West  Indies. 

There  are  three  companies  of  a  West  India  regiment,  always  short 
of  their  complement,  which  compose  the  garrison  of  the  settlements, 
being  distributed  among  the  stations  comprising  McCarthy's  island,  175 
miles  up  the  river ;  Fort  Bullen,  on  the  Barra  shore,  opposite  to  Bathurst ; 
Cape  St.  Mary's,  eight  miles  distant,  in  the  kingdom  of  Combo  ;  and 
Bathurst,  the  seat  of  government. 

The  government,  as  in  that  of  all  the  British  colonies  in  Africa,  is 
administered  by  a  governor  and  legislative  council,  whose  acts  are  sent 
home  for  royal  approval.  The  Europeans  resident  here  number  about 
forty,  including  officers,  merchants,  some  Wesleyan  missionaries,  two  or 
three  ladies,  and  as  many  of  that  celestial  band,  the  Sisters  of  Charity. 
The  rest  of  the  population  number  about  2,000;  consisting  of  Africans, 
mostly  JalofFs,  Mandingoes,  some  Foulahs,  and  an  occasional  Moor  who 
has  strayed  down  from  the  interior.  Amidst  many  discordant  sounds, 
the  ear  of  the  stranger,  as  he  walks  through  the  market  at  Bathurst, 
will  be  struck  occasionally  by  accents  from  female  lips,  which  he  will 
at  once  pronounce  the  softest  and  most  melodious  he  ever  heard.  There 
is  a  plaintiveness  in  the  tone,  and  a  music  in  the  flexure  of  the  voice, 
which  is  indescribable.  I  could  not  learn  of  what  tribe  the  speakers 
were,  for  it  is  more  difficult  to  designate  the  country  of  the  female  than 
of  the  male. 

The  Mandingo  language  is  considered  more  melodious  than  that  of 
the  Foulahs,  while  the  later  is  said  to  be  more  copious  and  to  possess 
a  structure  which  would  indicate  a  former  high  condition  of  the  race. 

Seen  through  the  foliage  of  the  trees  in  front,  the  buildings  of  the  town 
present  an  imposing  and  beautiful  appearance  from  the  harbor.  The 
habitations  of  the  natives  are  huts  made  of  cane,  wattled  around  slender 
uprights  and  plastered,  many  of  them  inside  and  out,  with  mortar. 
Those  of  the  poorer  classes  are  plastered  with  mud.  The  huts  are 
usually  in  the  form  of  a  parallelogram,  from  16  to  20  feet  long,  by  12 
to  14  wide,  and  the  walls  from  five  to  six  feet  high.     The  roofs  are 


6  H.    Doc.  1. 

conical,  formed  of  light  poles  meeting  in  the  centre,  and  thatched  with 
the  long  grass  of  the  country. 

The  huts  are  not  built  in  regular  rows,  each  one  fronting  on  the  street, 
one  for  each  family ;  but  are  many  of  them  in  enclosures  of  wicker  work, 
containing  two  or  three  or  more  huts,  according  to  the  number  of  wives 
of  the  proprietor.  These  huts  very  much  attracted  my  attention,  and  I 
visited  several  of  them,  each  usually  containing  one  or  two  beds  made 
of  mats,  spread  on  fixtures  to  the  wall,  a  few  chairs,  and  a  table,  on 
which  was  exhibited  the  household  crockery.  Excepting  thatthe3r  are 
better  finished,  these  huts  are,  I  am  told,  fair  specimens  of  those  in  the 
neighboring  country;  but  the  bed-fixtures,  the  chairs,  the  tables,  and  the 
crockery,  are  the  results  of  close  contact  with  civilization.  The  native 
inhabitants  of  the  town  are  nearly  all  Mohammedans — some  few  are 
Pagans;  but,  so  far  as  I  could  learn,  there  was  not  an  adult  Christian 
among  them.  Nearly  all  wear  gree-grees  or  charms,  consisting  of  a 
bit  of  camwood,  a  tooth  of  some  wild  animal,  or  a  sentence  from  the 
Koran,  cased  in  skin.  Their  dress  is  flowing  and  very  graceful,  con- 
sisting, with  some  slight  variety,  of  a  white  cloth  wrapped  around  the 
loins  and  extending  to  the  knees,  and  another  with  an  aperture  for 
the  head,  resting  upon  the  shoulders,  like  the  bernoos  of  the  Syrian 
horseman. 

The  Jaloff  is  the  tallest  race  of  men  I  have  ever  seen,  and  forcibly 
reminded  me  of  the  fabulous  accounts  of  the  Patagonians.  They  in- 
habit the  vast  district  extending  along  the  coast  from  the  Gambia  to  the 
Senegal.  Their  frames  are  rather  slight  than  muscular :  they  are  coal- 
black  in  their  complexions,  and  have  the  short,  crisped  hair  peculiar  to 
the  negro  race ;  but  have  not  the  thick  lips,  flat  nose,  and  low,  rece- 
ding forehead  which,  in  our  idead,  are  associated  with  the  features  of 
the  African.  On  the  contrary,  with  the  Caucasian,  they  have  promi- 
nent noses,  and  their  foreheads  aije  high  but  narrowing  at  the  temples. 
Each  one  carries  himself  as  stately  as  if  he  were  a  monarch — the  wo- 
men as  much  so  as  the  men,  and  with  the  same  proportion  as  elsewhere, 
in  the  respective  size  of  the  sexes>  I  am  not  alone  in  the  opinion  that 
the  females  are,  on  an  average,  as  tall  as  men  are  with  us.  It  is  a 
very  interesting  race.  The  Eurppeans  here  represent  them  as  easily 
managed  by  gentle  means,  but  exceedingly  dangerous  when  provoked, 
and  as  being  very  expert  in  the  use  of  fire-arms.  In  point  of  stature 
they  correspond  with  the  Berri,  a  tall  race  of  men  towards  the  other 
side  of  the  continent.  The  JalofJs  are  high-toned  and  courteous  ;  and, 
in  contradistinction  to  the  other  tribes,  are  called  by  foreigners  the 
"gentlemen  of  Africa." 

The  Mandingoes  are  from  the  banks  of  the  Gambia,  from  Manding 
down  to  the  coast.  It  is  a  numerous  and  powerful  race,  with  more  of 
the  characteristic  features  of  the  negro  than  the  JalofFs.  They  are  re- 
presented as  lively  in  their  dispositions,  prone  to  traffic,  and  with  some 
taste  for  literature — a  literature  confined  to  the  Koran.  It  is  said  they 
read  no  other  book,  and  are  taught  no  other  lessons  in  their  schools  but 
an  unmeaning  repetition  of  its  laws  and  precepts.  I  question  the  cor- 
rectness of  the  assertion.  The  songs  of  the  Jelli,  or  singing  men,  would 
bespeak  a  higher  intellectual  cultivation.  Mr.  Laing  visited  in  1822 
the  walled  town  of  Kakundi,  in  the  country  of  Melicouri,  and  was  there 


H.   Doc.  1.  7 

introduced  to  King  Yaradee,  one  of  the  chiefs  of  Sulima.  On  that  oc- 
casion was  recited  the  following  song,  which  is  almost  as  poetic  and 
far  more  genuine  than  the  fabled  poems  of  Ossian.  It  commemorates  an 
advantage  gained  by  Yaradee  over  the  Foulahs,  at  the  time  when  ten 
thousand  of  them,  headed  by  Ba  Dembah,  laid  siege  to  Falata: 

"Shake  off  that  drowsiness,  brave  Yaradee,  thou  lion  of  war! 
Hang  thy  sword  to  thy  side,  and  be  thyself!  Dost  thou  not  behold  the 
army  of  the  Foulahs?  Observe  their  lines  of  muskets  and  spears, 
vying  in  brightness  with  the  rays  of  the  departing  sun !  They  are 
strong  and  powerful ;  yea,  they  are  men !  and  they  have  sworn  on  the 
Al  Koran  that  they  will  destroy  the  capital  of  the  Sulima  nation.  So, 
shake  off  that  drowsiness,  brave  Yaradee,  thou  lion  of  war !  The 
brave  Talaheer,  thy  sire,  held  the  Foulahs  in  contempt.  Fear  was  a 
stranger  to  his  bosom!  He  set  the  firebrand  to  Timbo,  that  nest  of  the 
Islamites ;  and,  though  worsted  at  Herico,  he  scorned  to  quit  the  field, 
but  fell  like  a  hero,  cheering  his  war-men.  If  thou  art  worthy  to  be 
called  the  son  of  Talaheer,  shake  off  that  drowsiness,  brave  Yaradee, 
thou  lion  of  war  ! 

"  Brave  Yaradee  stirred.  He  shook  his  garments  of  war,  as  the 
soaring  eagle  ruffles  his  pinions.  Ten  times  he  addressed  his  gree- 
grees,  and  swore  to  them  that  he  would  either  return  in  triumph  to 
the  sound  of  the  war-drum,  or  that  the  cries  of  the  Jelli  should  bewail 
his  fall.     The  war-men  shouted  with  joy. 

"  Behold  !  he  shakes  from  him  that  drowsiness,  the  lion  of  war!  he 
hangs  his  sword  by  his  side,  and  is  now  himself! 

"Follow  me  to  the  field!  exclaimed  the  heroic  Yaradee!  Fear 
nothing !  for,  let  the  spear  be  sharp,  or  the  ball  be  swift,  faith  in  your 
gree-grees  will  preserve  you  from  danger.  Follow  me  to  the  field  ; 
lor  I  am  roused,  and  have  shook  off  that  drowsiness.  I  am  brave  Yar- 
adee, the  lion  of  war !  I  have  hung  my  sword  by  my  side,  and  am 
myself.  I  have  shook  off  that  drowsiness.  The  war-drum  sounds,  and 
the  sweet  notes  of  the  balla  encourage  warriors  to  deeds  of  arms.  The 
valiant  Yaradee  mounts  his  steed  !  His  headmen  follow !  The  north- 
ern gate  of  Falaba  is  thrown  open,  and  they  rush  from  it  with  the 
swiftness  of  leopards.  Yaradee  is  a  host  in  himself!  Observe  how  he 
wields  his  sword  !  They  fall  before  him  !  They  stagger !  They  reel ! 
Foulah  men !  you  will  long  remember  this  day !  for  Yaradee  has  shook 
off  his  drowsiness,  the  lion  of  war  !  He  has  hung  his  sword  by  his 
side,  and  is  himself." 

By  way  of  contrast  of  the  turn  of  thought  and  mode  of  expression, 
I  give  the  account  of  a  Bornou  man,  related  by  himself: 

"  My  years  were  eighteen.  There  was  war.  At  that  time  my 
mother  died.  My  father  died.  I  buried  them.  I  had  done.  The 
Foulahs  caught  me.  They  sold  me.  The  Housa  people  bought  us. 
They  brought  us  to  Tomba.  We  got  up.  We  came  to  the  Popo  coun- 
try. The  Popoes  took  us.  To  a  white  man  they  sold  us.  The  white 
man  took  us.  We  had  no  shirts.  We  had  no  trousers.  We  were 
naked.  Into  the  midst  of  the  water — into  the  midst  of  a  ship  they  put 
us.  Thirst  killed  somebody.  Hunger  killed  somebody.  By  night  we 
prayed.  At  sun-time  we  prayed.  God  heard  us.  The  English  are 
good.    God  sent  them.    They  came.    They  took  us.    Our  hunger  died. 


8  H.   Doc.  1. 

Our  thirst  died.  Our  chains  went  .off  from  our  feet.  Shirts  they  gave 
us.  Trousers  they  gave  us.  Hats  they  gave  us.  Every  one  was  glad. 
We  all  praised  the  English.  Whoever  displeases  the  English,  into  hell 
let  him  go." 

The  Mandingoes  manufacture  cotton  cloths,  and  dye  them  with  indigo 
and  other  vegetable  dyes  in  colors  so  fixed  as  to  resist,  it  is  said,  the 
action  of  acids,  and  light — a  quality  surpassing  that  of  any  other  known 
dye-stuff  in  the  world.  The  Mandingo  indigo-plant,  as  it  is  here  called, 
has  a  deep-green  leaf,  with  a  number  of  spear-shaped  leaflets  along 
the  sides  of  a  common  leaf-stalk,  opposite  to  each  other  and  abruptly 
winged,  and  may  therefore  be  classed  among  compound  leaves.  From 
thirty  leaves  of  this  plant,  nearly  an  ounce  of  pure  indigo  has  been  ob- 
tained. The  Mandingoes  are  skilled  also  in  the  tanning  of  hides,  and 
the  preparation  of  leather;  and  the  specimens  which  I  saw  of  their 
bridles,  whips,  pouches,  sword  and  dagger  sheaths,  and  powder-horns, 
far  surpass  all  I  had  conceived  of  native  manufacture. 

The  Foulahs  or  Fellatas  are  rigid  Mohammedans,  and  are  very  dis- 
tinct from  the  Jaloffs  and  Mandingoes.  They  sustain  the  remark  that 
the  inhabitants  of  an  inland  country  are  of  lighter  complexion  than 
those  who  reside  on  the  seacoast  in  the  same  parallel  of  latitude. 
They  are  lighter-colored,  their  noses  are  more  prominent,  and  their 
general  features  partake  more  of  the  Nubian  than  of  an  African  tribe 
bordering  on  the  great  desert. 

There  is  an  ancient  tradition  cherished  by  them  of  their  being  de- 
scendants of  a  white  race,  and  they  have  often  assigned  it  as  a  reason 
why  they  should  have  no  interests  conflicting  with  those  whose  origin 
they  regard  as  the  same  with  their  own.  Those  seen  at  Bathurst  are 
from  the  countries  north  and  south  of  the  Gambia,  above  McCarthy's 
island.  Although  they  have  made  a  few  settlements  on  the  southern 
bank,  they  do  not,  in  general,  evince  a  taste  for  agricultural  pursuits. 
They  are  warlike  shepherds,  and  are  overrunning  Western  and  Central 
Africa  with  as  much  zeal,  and  with  equal  success,  as  the  Saracens  did 
the  northern  shore  of  the  continent  in  the  seventh  century.  They  are 
ever  at  war,  and  warring  but  to  conquer ;  with  the  sword  and  the 
Koran  they  exterminate  paganism  wherever  they  appear. 

At  the  close  of  the  last  century  there  was  not  a  Mohammedan  south 
of  Cape  Verde  or  west  of  Footah  Torra.  Now,  of  the  two  millions  of 
inhabitants  occupying  that  country,  two-thirds  are  Mohammedans.  At 
present,  a  religious  war  is  raging  within  two  miles  of  Bathurst ;  and 
the  English  officer,  in  his  evening  ride,  can  hear  the  report  of  fire-arms 
and  the  uproar  of  battle.  Not  long  since  the  combatants  approached 
so  near  that  their  bullets  struck  the  barrack-wall  and  the  houses  and 
fences  of  European  residents.  I  have  mentioned  a  French  squadron 
fitting  out  in  Goree  for  the  purpose  of  attacking  a  tribe  lower  down  the 
coast.  The  circumstance  was  related  in  the  presence  of  the  governor 
here ;  and  an  officer  of  the  garrison,  who  had  just  arrived  upon  the 
station,  remarked,  that  in  his  opinion  one  small  steamer  and  a  hundred 
men  would  be  sufficient  for  the  purpose.  "  Far  from  it,"  replied  the 
governor;  "and  you  will  think  so,  too,  when  you  have  been  longer  in 
Africa.  There  are,  at  this  moment,"  he  added,  "people  within  fifteen 
miles  of  us  whom  we  dare  not  attack." 


H.    Doc.   1. 


The  Foulahs  have  warred  against  the  Tauriyacks  in  the  north,  and 
the  negroes  of  Bambara  in  the  south.  With  the  Jaloffs  and  Mandin- 
goes,  they  occupy  much  of  the  western  coast ;  and  in  the  interior  of 
the  continent  have  subjugated  Yoruba,  Nyfee,  and  Housa.  They  now 
extend  from  the  Atlantic  to  the  Niger,  and  from  the  Senegal  to  within 
a  few  days'  march  of  the  Gulf  of  Guinea ;  and  within  the  present 
century  have  founded  Soccatoo,  the  capital  of  their  empire.  Wherever 
they  have  settled,  pagan  idolatry  is  said  to  have  disappeared,  and 
human  sacrifices  are  abolished.  In  one  respect  their  success  will  check 
the  traffic  in  slaves,  and  thus  prove  beneficial  to  humanity.  By  their 
civil  code,  derived  from  the  Koran,  it  is  forbidden  to  enslave  any  one 
born  of  free  parents,  and  professing  the  religion  of  Mohammed  ;  and 
the  slave  of  a  kafir,  by  embracing  Islamism,  becomes,  ipso  facto,  free. 

By  the  abolition  of  human  sacrifices,  and  the  substitution  of  the 
worship  of  the  true  Gcd  for  that  of  senseless  idols,  the  Foulahs  are 
unquestionably  ministers  of  good  to  Africa ;  but  it  may  be  doubted 
whether,  under  the  Mohammedan  rule,  that  country  will  present  less 
difficulties  than  at  present  to  the  advancement  of  Christianity  within 
it.  The  theology  of  Islamism  is  unexceptionable.  "  Obedience  leads 
the  way  to  heaven ;  fasting  and  self-denial  give  it  rapid  progress ; 
and  alms-deeds  open  the  door." 

But,  unhappily,  all  kafir s — a  term  embracing  Christians  and  in- 
fidels— are  excluded  from  their  charity.  Intolerant  in  their  bigotry, 
the  very  exercise  of  what  they  believe  to  be  virtues  begets  a  spirit 
of  self-righteousness,  which  may  prove  the  greatest  obstacle  to  their 
conversion. 

The  commerce  of  the  Gambia,  already  great,  is  rapidly  increasing. 
Bathurst  is  the  port  of  entry  for  all  the  settlements  on  the  river,  ex- 
cept the  French  colony  of  Albreda.  There  are  no  discriminating 
tonnage  duties;  and,  except  sixpence  per  gallon  on  wines  and  spirits, 
and  one  farthing  per  pound  on  tobacco,  the  import  duty  on  all  goods, 
British  and  foreign,  is  four  per  cent.  A  comparison  of  the  official 
returns  of  1840  and  that  of  1S51  (the  last  rendered)  will  convey  an 
accurate  idea  of  the  advance  of  commerce. 

In  1S40  the  foreign  tonnage  entered  was  6,922  tons,  and  that  of 
1851  was  21,596  tons ;  while  the  difference  between  the  aggregate 
imports  and  exports  was  $325,000.  This  difference  is  annually  in- 
creasing, and  the  exports  of  1851  exceeded  those  of  the  preceding 
year  $120,000.  In  1835  there  were  but  47  tons  of  ground-nuts 
raised  on  the  Gambia.  In  1845  the  trade  in  that  article  commenced, 
and  it  was  exported  to  the  amount  of  $995.  In  1851,  including  1,000 
tons  from  Albreda,  there  were  upwards  of  12,000  tons  exported, 
amounting  to  $720,000,  one-fifteenth  of  which  found  its  way  to  the 
United  States,  and  about  the  same  proportion  to  Great  Britain.  Nearly 
five-sixths  of  the  whole  amount  is  exported  to  France,  where  an  oil  is 
expressed  from  it,  which  is  used  for  the  table  and  for  supplying  lamps. 
It  is  much  esteemed,  and  is  said  never  to  become  rancid. 

It  will  be  perceived  that  extra  duties  are  levied  on  the  principal  ar- 
ticles imported  from  the  United  States.  But  it  is  not  fair  to  infer  that 
they  are  imposed  in  a  spirit  of  illiberality.     No  man,  who  is  a  friend  to 


10  H.   Doc.  1. 

his  race,  would  regret,  if  the  tax  on  New  England  rum  and  all  intoxica- 
ting drinks  amounted,  everywhere,  to  a  total  prohibition.  As  for 
tobacco,  the  very  light  duty  imposed  aids  the  revenue,  while  it  does 
not  lessen  the  importation  ;  for  it  is  an  indispensable  article  in  the  Afri- 
can trade  ;  and  whatever  he  sells,  the  native  requires  a  part  of  the  pay- 
ment to  be  made  in  tobacco.  Of  this  staple  of  our  country,  we  last 
year  imported  into  the  Gambia  one  and  a  half  million  pounds.  Our 
other  imports  for  the  same  period  included  one  thousand  barrels  of 
flour  and  two  hundred  and  fifty  thousand  dollars'  worth  of  cotton  goods, 
besides  salt  provisions,  hams,  potatoes,  furniture,  shoes,  hats,  &c,  to 
a  large  amount.  Hides  form  a  considerable  portion  of  the  exports, 
and  are  sent  almost  exclusively  to  our  country ;  and  at  least  one-fourth 
of  the  imports  are  from  the  United  States,  exclusive  of  the  tobacco 
brought  in  vessels  of  other  nations. 

Leaving  the  Gambia,  we  stretched  a  little  from  the  land,  to  pass 
outside  the  Isles  de  Los,  and  steered  our  course  for  Sierra  Leone. 
The  coast  is  low  and  thickly  wooded,  with  occasional  clumps  of  trees 
showing  above  the  surface.  These  clumps,  alone  visible  at  times 
above  the  misty  exhalations  of  the  land,  like  the  hillocks  of  Cape  Verde, 
resemble  islands  in  the  distance.  With  these  interruptions,  the  scene 
inland  was  as  level  and  monotonous  as  that  to  seaward.  On  the  one 
hand  an  unbroken  mass  of  foliage,  and  on  the  other  a  slumbering  sea, 
with  a  mist  brooding  over  it,  which  narrowed  the  limits  of  the  horizon. 

Our  passage  was  a  long  and  tedious  one,  and  the  weather  was  most 
relaxing.  By  day  we  had  light  and  fitful  airs,  which  scarce  agitated 
the  hazy  atmosphere  through  which  the  rays  of  the  sun  penetrated  with 
scorching  heat,  while  the  eye  shrunk  in  pain  from  the  glare  of  light. 
During  the  night  calms  mostly  prevailed,  but  the  heated  air  kept  evap- 
oration suspended,  except  when  the  wind  shifted  to  the  north,  and 
then  the  dew  was  copious.  Notwithstanding  the  heat  was  most  trying 
to  the  system,  the  average  temperature  was  only  83°.  Our  progress 
was  as  much  accelerated  by  a  southerly  current  as  by  wind  and  can- 
vass. In  our  course  we  passed  the  mouths  of  the  Rio  Grande,  the 
Nunez,  and  the  Pongo.  The  former  is  more  a  deep  bay,  with  numer- 
ous islands,  than  an  estuary ;  the  two  latter  are  considerable  rivers, 
which  flow  from  the  interior  in  many  intricate  channels,  connecting 
with  each  other,  which,  while  they  increase  the  difficulties  of  naviga- 
tion to  vessels  of  burden,  extend  to  the  inhabitants  great  facilities  of 
intercommunication. 

A  vessel  drawing  twelve  feet  water  can  ascend  the  Nunez  sixty 
miles  to  Kakundy.  The  town  of  Tallabuncia,  about  four  miles  from 
its  mouth,  is  described  as  being  situated  in  a  plain,  and  beautifully 
shaded  with  lofty  palm-trees,  and  a  great  profusion  of  the  lime,  the 
orange,  the  plantain,  and  the  banana.  The  men  inhabiting  it  are  strong 
and  well  formed,  but  of  a  savage  appearance,  having  their  breasts  and 
arms  tattooed,  and  are  almost  destitute  of  clothing.  Large  holes  are 
pierced  through  their  ears,  in  which  are  inserted  bits  of  coarse  grass. 
The  appearance  of  the  women  is  still  less  attractive.  At  the  com- 
mencement of  the  rains  the  locust  tree  on  the  Nunez  ripens  its  fruit, 
which  hangs  in  clusters  from  its  branches,  and  furnishes  a  great  part 
of  the  food  of  the  natives  at  that  season. 


H.  Doc.   1.  11 

The  coast  from  the  Nunez  nearly  to  Sierra  Leone  was,  until  the 
early  part  of  this  century,  inhabited  by  the  Soosoos,  who  drove  from  it 
the  aboriginal  tribe,  only  leaving  them  a  few  settlements  along  the 
shore  and  on  the  island  of  Tamara,  the  largest  of  the  Isles  de  Los. 

The  Soosoos  are  patriotic  and  brave,  determined  enemies  of  Moham- 
medanism, and  subject  to  no  superstition  which  would  not  readily  yield 
to  the  light  of  Christianity.  Their  notions  of  the  Deity  are  extremely 
vague,  and  it  can  scarcely  be  said  that  they  have  any  religion.  They 
have  some  obscure  idea  of  an  omnipotent  power,  and  pay  respect  and 
homage  to  departed  souls — honoring,  with  solemn  rites  and  offerings, 
the  manes  of  their  ancestors.  They  are  accustomed  to  visit  certain 
spots  consecrated  to  the  dead,  and  deposite  some  portion  of  their  food 
and  call  over  the  names  of  their  deceased  friends. 

Hospitality  is  a  virtue  for  which  the  Soosoos  are  distinguished  ;  and 
the  stranger,  it  is  said,  never  passes  through  one  of  their  villages  with- 
out being  invited  to  take  rest  or  refreshment.  Should  the  reigning 
king,  in  the  opinion  of  a  majority  of  the  chiefs,  prove  too  weak  for  his 
trust,  or  should  age  unfit  him  for  the  discharge  of  his  duties,  by  an  act 
of  peculiar  significance  he  is  called  upon  to  retire.  A  messenger  pre- 
sents to  him  a  silver  basin  containing  a  piece  of  white  paper.  If  the 
king  places  his  royal  turban  in  the  basin,  he  may  descend,  without  dis- 
turbance or  danger,  to  the  walks  of  common  life,  and  there  enjoy  the 
respect  and  affection  of  his  countrymen  ;  but  should  he  refuse  to  com- 
ply with  this  peaceful  request,  he  retains  his  turban  and  manifests  his 
resolution  to  defend  it,  by  sending  back  in  its  stead  a  piece  of  scarlet 
cloth,  with  powder  and  ball.     This  is  the  signal  for  civil  war. 

The  Soosoos  have  been  dispossessed  of  a  great  portion  of  their  ter- 
ritory by  the  Mandingoes,  who  occupy  the  country  between  the  recent 
conquests  of  the  Foulahs  and  the  sea. 

Somewhere  in  that  territory  are  the  Loubies — supposed  to  be  de- 
scendants of  the  Lencothiopes  of  Ptolomy  and  Pliny.  They  are  repre- 
sented as  a  degenerate  race — poor  and  squalid  in  appearance — who 
neither  cultivate  the  soil  nor  follow  pastoral  pursuits,  but  manufacture 
wooden  bowls  and  other  trifles,  and  carry  on  a  petty  traffic  with  the 
Mandingoes. 

The  language  of  the  Bulloms  and  that  of  the  Timmanees,  who  oc- 
cupy the  shores  of  the  river  Sierra  Leone,  are  said  to  be  harmonious  to 
the  ear,  but  surpassed  in  sweetness  by  the  dialect  of  the  Soosoos.  The 
Mandingo  language  is  more  difficult  than  either  to  acquire  ;  and,  in  con- 
sequence of  abounding  in  gutturals,  is  harsher  in  pronunciation. 

In  consequence  of  light  winds  and  calms  we  had  a  long  passage  to 
Sierra  Leone.  The  river  of  Sierra  Leone  discovered  by  Pietro  de 
Cintra,  in  1462,  and  formerly  called  the  Mitomba,  is  formed  by  the 
junction  of  four  streams — the  Bunce,  Rokelle,  Porto  Lago,  and  Ma- 
hara — and  falls  into  the  s"ea  in  north  latitude'  8°  30',  and  west  lon- 
gitude 13°  43'.  The  name  "Sierra  Leone"  was  given  to  the  mount- 
ain range  south  of  the  river  from  the  fancy  that  the  loud  reverberation 
of  thunder  in  the  valleys  resembled  the  roaring  of  lions. 

The  peninsula,  which  breaks  down  suddenly  at  the  river's  mouth,  is 
very  lofty  compared  with  the  opposite  shore,  and  stretches  inland  to 
the  southeast  in  a  range  which  soon  reaches  an  elevation  of  more  than 


12  H.    Doc.  1. 

2,000  feet.  The  range  is  not  uniform  ;  bul  presents  on  the  north  side 
detached  hills,  with  valleys  between,  that  increase  in  width  as  they  de- 
scend and  sweep  down  towards  the  river ;  before  reaching  which  they 
unite  in  a  rolling  and  luxuriant  plain,  varying  only  in  the  character  of 
their  foliage.  The  valleys  and  hill-tops  were  clothed  with  luxuriant 
verdure  when  we  saw  them.  As  viewed  from  the  sea,  the  scene  was  pic- 
turesque and  imposing  :  on  one  side  a  low  shore,  stretching  away  to 
the  north,  which  looked  dark  in  its  dull  uniformity  of  green ;  on  the 
other  the  lofty  mountain  range,  showing  above  the  mist  which  rolled 
up  from  the  valleys  and  gathered  around  its  waist.  The  scenery  is 
that  of  paradise ;  but  beneath  its  beauty,  like  the  serpent  concealed 
amid  flowers  and  foliage,  lurks  the  deadly  venom  which  is  developed  in 
the  rainy  season,  when  its  earliest  and  its  surest  victim  is  the  white  man. 

Now,  it  is  comparatively  healthy ;  and  the  Europeans  of  the  place,  as 
well  as  those  of  Bathurst,  forget  the  alarms  and  fears  of  the  past  in  the 
enjoyments  of  the  present.  The  river  Sierra  Leone  is,  like  the  Gambia, 
divided  into  two  channels  ;  but  the  southern  and  principal  one  is  nar- 
row, owing  to  an  extensive  shoal  along  the  northern  shore. 

In  approaching  the  harbor  the  scenery  softens  into  the  beautiful. 
The  breeze  which  daily  sets  in  to  temper  the  heat  of  the  sun,  wafts 
masses  of  clouds  from  seaward ;  which,  in  passing  over,  cast  their 
shadows  upon  the  swelling  hills  and  outstretching  valleys. 

At  home,  we  sometimes  behold  the  foliage  of  the  trees  wearing  rich 
autumnal  tints,  while  the  grass  beneath  is  green  ;  but  here  it  is  reversed : 
the  grass  is  embrowned  by  the  want  of  moisture  at  this  season;  while 
the  trees,  their  roots  striking  deeper  into  the  soil,  retain  their  tropical 
verdure.  And  this  tropical  character  is  enhanced  by  the  frequent  palm- 
tree — the  ancient  and  acknowledged  symbol  of  fertility. 

Between  the  cape  and  the  anchorage  off  the  town,  there  are  many 
ferruginous  rocks  scattered  along  the  shore  :  but  the  rugged  appearance 
is  relieved  by  two  placid  little  bays,  into  which  empty  some  small 
streams,  fringed  with  shrubbery ;  among  which  we  could  not  detect 
the  fever-engendering  mangrove.  The  ferruginous  soil,  the  rounded 
summits  of  the  mountain  range,  and  the  small  pieces  of  lava  brought 
up  by  the  lead  in  sounding  near  the  Banana  islands,  which  lie  abreast 
of  it,  all  indicate  a  volcanic  origin. 

Here  and  there,  on  the  hill-sides  and  throughout  the  rolling  plain,  are 
cultivated  spots,  with  pretty  cottages  embowered  in  foliage,  which  be- 
come more  and  more  frequent  in  approaching  the  town.  Freetown  is 
built  on  the  northern  declivity  of  the  mountain,  which  towers  2,600 
feet  behind  it — a  beautiful,  but  most  insalubrious  position  ;  for  the  high 
lands  exclude  the  sea-breeze  from  the  quarter  whence  it  blows  in  the 
sickly  season,  and  from  the  swampy  shore  on  the  other  side  is  borne, 
by  the  land-breeze,  the  miasmata  which  is  so  deadly  to  the  white  man. 
One  can  scarcely  realize  that  death  can  be  shrouded  in  so  much 
beauty. 

The  soil  in  and  around  the  town  is  formed  of  a  brittle  rock,  consist- 
ing of  sandstone  and  a  combination  of  iron  with  oxygen,  having  a  strong 
magnetic  quality. 

In  the  centre  of  the  town  are  the  stores  and  dwellings  of  the  Euro- 
pean residents  and  principal    native  merchants,  flanked  on  one  side 


H.    Doc.   1.  13 

by  Krootown,  and  on  the  other  by  populous  villages  of  liberated 
Africans. 

The  whole  is  well  laid  out,  and  the  principal  streets  broad  and  rect- 
angular. The  houses  in  the  centre  town  have  generally  a  superstructure 
of  frame,  on  a  ba'sement  of  stone.  They  are  mostly  surrounded  by 
covered  galleries,  having  trellis-work  in  front ;  and  are  detached  from 
each  other,  with  many  trees  around  them.  The  dwellings  of  the  Kroo- 
men,  who  resort  here  in  great  numbers  for  employment,  and  those  of 
the  liberated  Africans,  are  similar  to  the  huts  at  Bathurst  in  their  con- 
struction ;  but,  unlike  them,  they  are  built  in  lines  with  the  streets, 
and  not  in  detached  courts. 

Some  of  the  Africans  reside  in  the  centre  town  in  well-finished 
houses,  and  own  considerable  property.  One  of  the  most  extensive 
merchants  of  the  place  is  a  native  of  the  interior.  Many  of  the  natives 
keep  small  retail  shops ;  but  some  of  their  stores  are  as  attractive  as 
those  of  Europeans  ;  and  those  who  keep  them  import  their  goods  from 
England,  and  export,  in  return,  large  cargoes  of  timber.  The  blacks 
are  as  eligible  as  whites  to  all  civil  and  municipal  offices — mayor, 
alderman,  sheriff,  &c.  Some  years  ago,  the  governor  of  the  colony 
was  a  colored  man ;  and  a  very  intelligent  one,  with  whom  I  became 
acquainted,  held  the  situation  of  colonial  chaplain. 

Many  of  the  negroes  residing  in  the  place  are  well  clothed,  present- 
ing quite  a  contrast  to  some  of  the  natives  of  the  surrounding  country, 
each  with  a  single  garment  girt  about  his  loins.  The  Mandingoes, 
however,  and  the  natives  from  Matakong,  with  the  products  of  their 
manufacturing  skill,  twisted  and  stamped  gold  rings,  and  pouches, 
bridles,  and  sword-cases  of  leather,  look  well  in  their  long  white  or 
blue  garments,  thrown  over  the  head  and  resting  upon  the  shoulders. 

The  public  buildings  in  the  centre  town  are  the  church,  the  jail,  the 
custom-house,  and  the  commissariat,  built  of  the  ironstone  of  the  coun- 
try, none  of  them  imposing  in  appearance.  Half-way  up  the  elevation, 
immediately  back  of  the  town,  is  the  governor's  house,  occupying  the 
site  of  a  fort,  and  less  imposing  even  than  the  public  buildings  below  it. 

A  short  distance  above  and  beyond  the  governor's  is  the  hospital,  a 
plain  building,  in  a  bad  position ;  and  crowning  all  are  Tower  Hill 
barracks,  composed  of  three  massive  buildings,  capable  of  accommo- 
dating 2,000  men.  At  present  there  are  but  200  troops  in  the  garrison, 
composed,  as  at  the  Gambia,  of  English  officers  and  black  soldiers. 

The  view  from  the  balcony  of  the  officers'  quarters  is  commanding 
and  superb.  The  town  is  spread  out  in  front  and  on  each  side.  The 
native  huts  stretch  far  up  the  plain  beyond  the  barracks,  and  look  beau- 
tiful in  their  long  lines  ot  streets,  so  perfectly  shaded  by  orange, 
banana,  and  pawpaw  trees,  that,  in  places,  the  walls  of  huts  are  alone 
visible  ;  the  brown  roofs  being  concealed  by  the  lofty  branches.  But 
there  is  a  drawback  to  the  view  on  the  eastern  side — the  large  and 
well-filled  grave-yard  at  the  head  of  the  valley.  In  1833,  the  popula- 
tion of  Freetown  was  7,000  :  it  is  now  18,000  ;  and  that  of  the  whole 
colony  was,  in  1851,  44,500. 

The  population  is  a  very  mixed  one,  consisting  of  Europeans,  Nova- 
Scotians,  liberated  Africans  and  native  Creoles,  West  Indians,  Ameri- 
cans, (colored,)  Kroomen,  and  natives  of  the  district.     The  liberated 


14  H.  Doc.  1. 

Africans  and  native  Creoles  comprise  ten-elevenths  of  the  whole  num- 
ber. The  creeds  are  as  various  as  the  races  :  commencing  with  the 
largest  number  professing  them,  they  are  Wesleyan  Methodists,  Epis- 
copalians, Pagans,  African  Methodists,  (seceders  from  the  Wesleyan,) 
Lady  Huntington's  connexion,  Mohammedans,  Baptists,  Catholics, 
Presbyterians,  and  Jews. 

The  costumes  of  the  inhabitants  are  as  various  as  their  creeds  and 
complexions  ;  the  latter  ranging  from  the  ruddy  cheek  of  Caledonia  to 
the  sable  brown  of  Egypt ;  the  former,  from  the  superfluous  garments 
of  civilization  to  the  pitris  naluralibus  of  barbarism.  Generally,  the  adults 
are  partly  clad — the  women  more  so  than  the  men,  although  some  of 
them  have  only  a  cloth  around  their  loins.  The  young  of  both  sexes 
under  twelve  years  of  age  generally  go  naked ;  but  some  have  adopted 
the  European  dress. 

As  a  love  of  ornament  is  a  characteristic  of  the  African  race,  there 
is  reason  to  hope  that,  as  they  lose  their  reverence  for  gree-grees,  they 
will  appropriate  the  money  heretofore  expended  for  them  to  the  pur- 
chase of  petticoats  and  trousers.  In  such  a  heterogeneous  society,  how- 
ever, the  reformation  cannot  be  a  rapid  one.  So  long  as  there  were 
frequent  accessions  to  the  population  from  the  slave-ships  captured  by 
English  cruisers,  there  was  but  little  progress  made  in  the  introduction 
of  the  manners  and  customs  of  the  whites.  Now,  however,  that  the 
horrible  slave  trade  is,  or  seems  to  be,  extirpated  from  these  latitudes, 
the  present  population  will,  day  by  day,  yield  their  prejudices  and  pro- 
pensities to  the  influences  of  Christianity  and  civilization ;  but,  for  the 
thorough  reformation  we  must  rely  upon  the  missionary  and  the  school- 
master acting  upon  the  rising  generation.  Daily,  hourly,  that  influence 
is  now  being  exercised  by  humble  but  heroic  men  ;  of  whom,  without 
exaggeration,  it  may  be  said  that  they  deliberately  perish,  in  order  that 
others  may  live. 

There  seems  to  be  much  activity  evinced  in  clearing  the  land  of 
its  dense  undergrowth  in  the  vicinity  of  the  settlements ;  thus  contribu- 
ting, at  the  same  time,  to  beautify  the  face  of  the  country  and  promote 
the  health  of  its  inhabitants.  The  whole  colony  is  intersected  by  ex- 
cellent roads,  forming  long,  narrow  vistas,  overshadowed  and  beauti- 
fied by  the  palm  and  the  banana — with  hedges  of  the  coffee  plant,  the 
leaves  of  the  latter  a  rich  and  vivid  green.  These  roads  measure 
seventy  miles  in  length,  and  are  continually  repaired  by  the  liberated 
Africans. 

The  Bullom  tribe  occupy  the  northern  shore  of  the  river,  and  give 
their  name  to  the  district  they  inhabit.  The  Timmanees  were  the  origi- 
nal inhabitants  of  the  peninsula  of  Sierra  Leone,  and  they  still  reside 
in  and  around  it.  They  are  described  as  indolent  and  licentious.  There 
is  a  tradition  that  they  were  preceded  by  the  Aiguas,  who  worshipped 
the  thunder-bolt.  During  thunder-storms  they  are  represented  as  com- 
ing forth  from  their  huts*  and  by  shouts  and  songs  welcoming  their  deity. 
On  one  occasion  a  pregnant  woman  was  killed  by  lightning ;  and  far 
and  near  the  worshippers  came  in,  exulting  that  with  one  bolt  two 
were  killed. 

It  is  a  custom  among  the  Timmanees,  as  also  of  many  other  tribes  of 
Western  Africa,  to  throw  a  small  portion  of  whatever  they  eat  or  drink 


H.   Doc.   1.  15 

upon  the  ground,  as  an  Offering  to  the  dead.  The  bodies  of  their  kings 
are  deposited  in  charnel-houses,  which  are  never  opened ;  but  there  are 
small  apertures  through  which  cooked  provisions  and  palm  wine  are  in- 
troduced, the  Timmanees  believing  that  they  are  consumed  by  the  dead. 
They  have  houses  near  their  towns,  in  which  are  images,  skulls, 
shells,  &c,  in  which  their  divinities  are  believed  to  reside. 

I  first  saw  here  the  cola  or  gorra-nut,  so  frequently  mentioned  by 
Park,  Clapperton,  and  the  Landers.  It  is  the  seed  of  the  Sterculia  acu- 
minata, resembling  the  horse-chestnut  in  appearance  and  growing  in 
pods,  four  or  five  together.  It  is  exceedingly  bitter,  but  is  considered 
an  excellent  tonic  by  the  natives.  It  has  an  unquestionable  peculiarity. 
After  chewing  one,  tepid  and  slightly  brackish  water  tastes  sweet  and 
refreshing.  The  locust  tree  of  this  country  is  very  beautiful — covered 
when  in  blossom  with  vermillion-colored  flowers,  which  are  followed 
by  pods  containing  a  farinaceous  substance,  of  which  the  natives  are 
very  fond.  In  the  yard  of  one  of  the  colonists  I  saw  a  bread-fruit 
tree,  large  and  umbrageous,  but  without  fruit,  it  being  too  early  in 
the  season.  The  British  government  might  have  transplanted  the  bread- 
fruit tree  from  this  vicinity,  instead  of  sending  to  the  South  Pacific  for 
it.  Limes,  oranges,  plantains  and  bananas,  with  other  tropical  fruits,  are 
abundant  in  the  market.  Of  fish  there  was  no  scarcity ;  and  there  seemed 
a  sufficiency  of  indifferent  beef  and  mutton  to  supply  the  limited  de- 
mand. There  was  no  great  variety  of  vegetables,  the  cassada,  yams, 
and  sweet  potatoes  being  the  principal;  and  poultry  was  rarely  Seen. 

The  movement  which  led  to  the  first  settlement  of  Sierra  Leone  ori- 
ginated with  the  Society  of  Friends,  and  the  first  colonists  consisted 
mostly  of  London  prostitutes  and  refugee  slaves  from  the  United  States. 
The  object  was  humane,  but  the  means  adopted  most  injudicious.  For- 
tunately for  the  credit  of  the  Christian  name  in  a  heathen  land,  nearly 
one-half  died  or  fled  from  the  colony  in  a  few  months;  and  in  less 
than  a  year  an  African  chief  destroyed  the  settlement,  and  the  whole 
were  dispersed.  Another  colony  was  sent  out  and  the  town  was  rebuilt, 
but  soon  after  destroyed  by  the  French.  A  third  time  settled,  it  has, 
with  occasional  trying  vicissitudes,  gone  on  increasing,  until  it  has  be- 
come an  important  colony  and  the  principal  of  the  English  settlements 
in  West  Africa.  It  was  formerly  under  the  charge  of  the  African  as- 
sociation, during  which  it  suffered  much  from  mal-administration  of 
its  affairs  ;  but  since  the  government  has  assumed  the  control  and  ex- 
erted itself  strenuously  and  successfully  in  suppressing  the  slave  trade, 
there  is  said  to  be  a  decided  improvement  in  the  character  and  habits 
of  the  blacks.  Many  of  them  are  well  clothed,  and  all  of  them  are 
well  behaved ;  perfect  order  throughout  the  town  is  preserved  by  police- 
men appointed  from  among  them,  each  one  distinguished  by  his  badge 
of  authority.  I  heard  no  quarrelling,  and  among  them  saw  no  intem- 
perance. 

The  trade  of  Sierra  Leone,  like  that  of  the  Gambia,  is  fast  increas- 
ing. From  the  official  return  to  the  British  Parliament,  the  number 
of  vessels  reported  inwards  at  the  customs  of  this  port  for  ]  851  was 
nearly  double  that  of  the  preceding  year ;  and  the  amount  of  tonnage 
entered  shows  an  increase  of  50  per  cent  The  imports  from  the 
United  States  amounted,  in  1851,  to  $83,000  ;  in  1852,  to  $98,000. 


16  H.    Doc.  1. 

But,  in  the  words  of  the  "official  returns,"  "a  very  large  proportion 
of  the  exports  are  not  reported  ;  it  being  a  well-known  fact  that  very 
many  vessels  load  annually  in  the  neighboring  rivers  with  produce,  for 
various  parts  of  the  world,  and  on  account  of  the  resident  merchants  of 
the  colony,  but  which  are,  nevertheless,  not  cleared  outwards  at  the 
custom-house  ;  and,  consequently,  no  returns  of  their  cargoes  can  be  in- 
cluded in  the  return  of  exports,  which  only  shows  the  exports  of  those 
vessels  cleared  by  the  customs." 

The  exports  for  1852  were  : 

800,000  bushels  ground-nuts,  valued  at $440,000 

(i-0-  to  France  and  to  to  the  United  States.) 

400,000  feet  timber— to  England  ;  valued  at 500,000 

500,000  hides— to  the  United  States  ;  at  $1  each 500,000 

300,000  gallons  palm  oil,  at  33£  cents 100,000 

(i  to  the  United  States  and  f  to  England.) 

200  tons  pepper,  valued  at " 400,000 

(&  to  the  United  States  and  §  to  England.) 

600  tons  ginger,  valued  at 600,000 

(£  to  the  United  States  and  §  to  England.) 
Beeswax  not  rendered — estimated  at 90,000 

Total 2,630,000 

•  .  ,      , 

A  letter  received  from  Sierra  Leone  since  my  return  here,  reports  a 
large  proportionate  increase  for  the  first  quarter  of  the  present  year  ; 
but  as  it  is  not  official,  I  withhold  it.  It  will  be  seen  that  the  reported 
exports  very  much  exceed  the  imports ;  and  the  inference  is,  that  all  of 
the  latter,  as  well  as  the  former,  are  not  entered  at  the  custom-house, 
but  distributed  in  the  neighboring  rivers. 

Leaving  Sierra  Leone  for  Monrovia,  with  a  fair  wind,  we  passed 
Sherbro  island  and  the  Shcbar  and  Gallinas  rivers,  and  on  the  second 
day  made  Cape  Mount. 

The  country  between  Sierra  Leone  and  the  Sherbro  is  covered  with 
timber,  much  of  which  is  annually  exported.  With  the  exception  ol  about 
ten  miles  along  the  coast,  the  Shebar  is  now  the  northern  boundary  of  the 
republic  of  Liberia.  This  river  is  properly  an  estuary  of  several  rivers ; 
and  on  the  island  between  it  and  the  sea,  the  first  attempt  was  made 
to  settle  a  colony  of  colored  people  from  the  United  States.  The  Boom 
Kittam  river,  up  which  we  have  a  considerable  trade,  flows  in  here 
from  the  southeast.  A  short  distance  up  the  stream  is  the  Mendi  mis- 
sion, established  by  our  countrymen.  They  complain  that  they  have 
frequently  been  much  incommoded,  and  that  once  or  twice  their  prop- 
erty and  their  lives  were  endangered  by  the  cupidity  of  the  native  chiefs. 
They  at  one  time  considered  that  they  owed  their  preservation  to  the 
timely  interference  of  the  commander  of  an  English  ship-of-war.  This 
is  not  the  only  instance  which  has  come  to  my  knowledge  of  the  assist- 
ance rendered  by  officers  of  the  royal  navy  to  our  citizens  trading  to  or 
residing  in  Africa. 

In  an  isolated  position,  like  that  on  the  Boom  Kittam,  it  seems  to  me 
that  one  of  our  cruisers  should  occasionally  visit  it ;  for  which  purpose, 


H.    Doc.  1.  17 

as  for  many  others  connected  with  the  suppression  of  the  slave  trade 
and  the  protection  of  American  lives  and  property,  one  or  two  steamers, 
of  light  draught  of  water,  should  be  attached  to  our  squadron  on  the  coast. 

The  Mohammedan  religion  was  introduced  into  this  district  of  coun- 
try in  the  early  part  of  this  century,  bv  missionaries  from  Coroango  and 
Toubah. 

De  Cintra,  sailing  down  the  coast  from  Sierra  Leone,  discovered  the 

'    river  Gallinas,  to  which  he  gave  the  name  of  Rio  del  Fumi,  because  he 

7  saw  nothing  but  smoke  along  the  shore.     Until  recently  the  mouth  of 

this  river  was  the  most  notorious  slave  mart  on  the  western  coast.  The 

factories  were  destroyed  in  1849  by  Commander  Denham,  R.  N. 

Through  the  joint  liberality  of  two  philanthropists — an  Englishman 
and  a  citizen  of  the  United  States — the  territory  was  subsequently  pur- 
chased from  the  neighboring  kings  and  annexed  to  the  republic  of  Li- 
beria ;  and  in  May,  1852,  the  Cassa  territory,  which  adjoins  Gallinas 
on  the  north,  was  also  purchased,  making  the  Shebar  the  northern 
boundary  of  the  republic. 

From  Gallinas  to  Cape  Mount,  along  the  coast,  and  extending  about 
thirty  miles  inland,  is  the  territory  occupied  by  the  Veys,  a  warlike 
tribe,  numbering  from  ten  to  twelve  thousand,  heretofore  actively  en- 
gaged in  the  slave  trade.  They  are  said  to  be  separatists  from  the 
Mandingoes  ;  and  some  of  them  are  Mohammedans,  and  possess  a  de- 
gree of  intelligence,  and  are  more  highly  civilized  than  the  Deys  and 
other  tribes  to  leeward. 

Their  language  has  been  reduced  to  writing  by  syllabic  characters, 
and  has  a  strong  affinity  to  that  of  the  Deys. 

Sharks  hover  about  the  mouths  of  rivers  on  the  coast ;  and,  during 
the  activity  of  the  slave  trade,  were  particularly  numerous  at  Gallinas 
bar,  on  the  watch  for  the  frequent  upsetting  of  the  canoes  which  trans- 
ported slaves  from  the  shore  to  the  vessels  in  the  offing.  In  1849,  a 
captain  of  a  vessel  lying  off  Gallinas,  who  had  visited  the  shore,  for  a 
long  time  feared  to  launch  his  boat  to  return  on  board,  in  consequence 
of  the  great  number  of  sharks  he  saw  swimming  about.  When  he  had 
embarked,  they  pursued  him  so  closely  that  he  could  strike  them  with 
his  oar. 

As  an  instance  of  the  rapacity  of  the  shark,  and  the  cruelty  of  one 
of  our  countrymen,  Dr.  Savage  relates,  that  in  1837  a  native  boy  be- 
longing to  Tabou,  about  forty  miles  to  leeward  of  Cape  Palmas,  was 
taken  on  board  of  an  American  brig,  to  act  the  part  of  cabin-boy. 
Having  offended  the  mate  on  one  occasion,  he  received  a  severe  chas- 
tisement, and  rushed  down  into  the  cabin  for  protection  from  the  cap- 
tain, who  was  busily  engaged  in  writing;  but  the  latter,  provoked  at 
such  an  abrupt  intrusion,  began  also  to  beat  him.  The  poor  boy  now 
retreated  to  the  deck,  pursued  by  the  captain,  and  encountering  the 
mate  in  a  threatening  attitude,  he  ran  towards  the  bow  of  the  ship. 
The  captain  followed  him,  pouring  forth  his  oaths  and  imprecations. 
The  little  fugitive,  finding  no  way  of  escape,  sprang  upon  the  bowsprit 
and  leaped  into  the  sea.  Here,  hanging  to  the  cable,  without  daring 
to  ascend,  he  began  to  entreat  the  compassion  of  his  Christian  employer, 
who  stood  leaning  over  the  bow,  shaking  his  fist  and  threatening  ven- 
geance on  his  head  if  he  attempted  to  come  on  board  again.  It  can 
2 


18  H.    Doc.  1. 

hardly  be  supposed  that  the  captain  intended  to  prevent  his  final  ascent; 
but  he  did  prevent  it  in  the  end.  For  while  the  boy  was  pleading  for 
his  mercy,  two  sharks  were  seen  to  approach,  and,  each  grasping  at  a 
leg,  rent  his  body  asunder.  The  next  moment  the  captain  saw  only 
the  bloody  wave  swashing  against  the  bow  of  his  ship. 

Of  the  horrors  of  the  slave  trade,  few  have  a  distinct  conception. 
A  single  instance,  which  occurred  in  this  locality,  will  give  an  idea  of 
the  reckless  barbarity  which  attends  it.  Prior  to  recent  treaties,  En- 
glish cruisers  could  not  capture  vessels  of  other  European  nations  along 
the  coast,  (and  cannot  now  American,)  unless  there  were  actually 
slaves  on  board.  In  1830  his  Britanic  Majesty's  ship  "Medina"  gave 
chase  to  a  suspicious  sail  hovering  off  the  mouth  of  this  river.  On 
board  of  the  latter  was  a  female  slave,  whose  presence,  as  much  as 
that  of  hundreds,  would  insure  the  capture  and  condemnation  of  the 
vessel.  As  the  most  effectual  means  of  removing  the  poor  wretch 
from  sight — for  even  her  dead  body  would  bear  damning  testimony — 
she  was  lashed  to  the  anchor,  and  with  it  cast  overboard.  The  search 
was  thus  baffled,  and  the  slaver  allowed  to  pass  unmolested. 

Cape  Mount,  in  latitude  6°  44'  N.,  is  a  bold  and  sudden  elevation, 
densely  wooded  to  the  summit,  which  is  1,060  feet  above  the  level  of  the 
sea ;  and  it  towers  over  the  surrounding  country,  except  in  the  south- 
east direction,  where  a  chain  of  hills  stretch  inland  until  they  are  lost 
in  the  distance. 

Cape  Mount,  as  well  as  the  Gallinas  and  Sierra  Leone  to  the  north, 
and  Cape  Mesurado  to  the  south,  were  discovered  by  the  same  Portu- 
guese navigator,  who  saw  here,  as  Hanno  and  his  Carthaginians  had 
seen  before,  many  fires  on  shore,  made  by  the  natives,  some  of  whom 
came  off  to  the  ship  in  canoes,  two  or  three  in  each.  They  were  all 
naked,  and  armed  with  wooden  darts  and  small  knives,  bows,  and 
shields.  They  had  rings  in  their  ears ;  and,  according  to  the  narrative 
of  Cada  Mosta,  in  their  nostrils  also,  and  wore  the  teeth  of  slaughtered 
enemies  suspended  from  their  necks,  as  trophies. 

The  eastern  base  of  Cape  Mount  is  washed  by  Fisherman's  lake,  ten 
or  twelve  miles  long,  formed  by  the  outspreading  of  the  irregular  and 
sluggish  river  Pissou,  which  flows  down  from  the  interior,  and  only 
finds  an  outlet  when  its  rising  waters  overflow  a  depression  in  the  bar- 
rier of  sand  thrown  up  by  the  sea.  The  shores  of  the  lake,  and  the 
banks  of  the  river,  are  covered  with  luxuriant  vegetation,  except  here 
and  there  a  clearing  occupied  by  villages  and  rice-fields.  The  huts  re- 
semble so  many  bee-hives  on  a  gigantic  scale. 

It  was  here  that  Pedro  Blanco  had  his  extensive  slave  factories. 
Besides  other  goods,  he  imported,  in  1841,  1,800  hogsheads  of  tobacco, 
and  annually  shipped  from  six  to  eight  thousand  slaves ;  and  considered 
it  a  good  speculation,  if  one  out  of  four  of  his  vessels  reached  its  des- 
tination unmolested. 

Twenty  miles  from  Cape  Mount  is  Half-cape  Mount  river,  which,  in 
part,  belies  its  name ;  for  it  is  a  fine  river,  flowing  through  a  level 
country,  uninterrupted,  as  far  as  the  eye  can  see,  by  the  slightest  ele- 
vation. 

From  Cape  Mount  to  Cape  Mesurado  is  the  Dey  country,  cut  up  in 
small  districts,  held  by  petty  kings,  who,  while  outwardly  acknowledg- 


H.   Doc.   1.  19 

ing  the  jurisdiction  of  the  republic,  are  continually  holding  palavers  ; 
i.  e.,  quarrelling  among  themselves.  The  word  "palaver,"  with  a 
great  many  phases  to  its  meaning,  generally  implies  a  discussion,  to 
decide  upon  a  right  assumed,  or  a  right  disputed  ;  or  indemnity  for  a 
wrong;  or  the  entbrcement  of  a  contract.  In  fact,  it  is  the  court  of 
law  of  the  tribes,  and  suits  are  brought  before  it. 

The  Deys,  more  tractable  but  not  more  trustworthy  than  the  Veys, 
are  somewhat  given  to  agriculture,  and  possess  considerable  mechanical 
skill  in  the  weaving  and  dyeing  of  cotton  cloths,  and  the  manufacture 
of  household  articles  and  instruments  of  warfare.  They  are  considered 
less  numerous  than  the  Veys,  and  are  a  more  indolent  and  inoffensive 
race,  numbering  from  6,000  to  8,000.  The  dialect  of  these  two  tribes 
has  some  affinity,  but  differs  from  other  languages  along  the  coast. 
Although  very  imperfect,  the  missionaries  have  succeeded  in  reducing 
it  to  significant  characters,  and  translating  into  it  a  compilation  of  the 
gospels. 

At  day-light,  on  the  31st  of  January,  we  made  Cape  Mesurado,  dimly 
visible  through  a  thin  white  mist  which  shrouded  the  horizon.  The  mist, 
hanging  over  the  lowlands,  but  not  rising  above  the  tops  of  the  trees, 
gave  to  the  scene  very  much  the  appearance  of  a  general  inundation. 
We  soon  after  heard  the  splashing  of  paddles  in  the  water,  and  in  a 
few  moments  a.  number  of  canoes  came  swiftly  forth  from  the  obscurity, 
and  revealed  two  or  three  natives  nearly  naked,  sitting  upright  in  each, 
and  handling  their  paddles  with  great  dexterity.  These  canoes  are  dug 
out  of  the  bombax  ceiba,  the  pullam  or  wild  cotton  tree  of  the  country, 
and  being  very  light,  narrow,  and  long,  with  a  slight  upward  curve  at 
each  extremity,  float  buoyantly  and  gracefully  upon  the  water." 

As  we  slowly  sailed  along,  the  mist  in  the  meanwhile  rising  with 
the  sun,  the  surrounding  scenery,  feature  by  feature,  was  unveiled,  and 
by  the  time  we  cast  our  anchor  in  the  bay  the  whole  was  distinctly 
revealed. 

Abreast  of  us  was  a  lofty  promontory ;  a  little  beyond,  and  partly 
hidden  by  it,  was  the  town  of  Monrovia;  and  to  the  east  and  north  a 
densely  wooded  country,  its  sandy  shore  interrupted  only  in  two 
places,  where  the  rivers  Mesurado  and  St.  Paul's  find  outlets  to  the 
sea — those  outlets  marked  by  the  foam  of  breakers  flashing  in  the 
sunlight. 

The  pitch  of  Cape  Mesurado  is  gently  rounded;  but  its  face  is 
abrupt,  and  would  present  a  rugged  appearance,  were  it  not  covered 
with  a  mantle  of  the  richest  green  1  have  ever  looked  upon,  re- 
sembling, if  anything,  the  hue  of  lichens  and  mosses  in  some  seques- 
tered ravine,  from  the  sides  of  which  water  imperceptibly  trickles. 
Except  a  very  narrow  strip  of  beach,  with  a  few  outlying  rocks  at  the 
very  water's  edge,  all  is  one  mass  of  foliage — tangled  vines  and  shrub- 
bery beneath,  but  above  a  dense  growth  of  trees,  becoming  more  and 
more  lofty,  until  those  on  the  summit  rear  their  heads  above  and  half 
conceal  the  light-house,  an  indifferent  frame  building,  stained  and 
defaced  by  the  weather;  which,  except  in  its  greater  height,  recalls  to 
mind  one  of  those  narrow  and  neglected  tobacco-houses  so  often  seen 
in  our  southern  States. 

In  the  dense  thicket  which  crowns  the  Cape  was  formerly  a  Fetish- 


20  H.   Doc.   1. 

house,  where  the  natives  worshipped  some  hideous  idol;  and  on  the 
naked  rocks,  near  the  extremity  of  the  Cape,  was  found,  in  September, 
1823,  the  carcass  of  a  boa  constrictor.  It  was  extended  nearly  at 
length,  and  measured  thirty-two  feet.  Its  size,  near  down  to  the  tail, 
was  almost  uniform,  and,  in  its  then  collapsed  and  shrivelled  state, 
varied  little  from  eight  inches  in  diameter.  Its  color,  when  alive, 
seemed  to  have  been  dark  brown,  variegated  with  irregular  patches  of 
a  darker  hue.     It  had  apparently  perished  from  starvation. 

The  anchorage  is  an  open  one ;  but  the  winds  rarely  blow  fresh  upon 
the  shore,  and  the  only  danger  to  shipping  is  a  heavy  sea  which  some- 
times comes  tumbling  in  without  the  slightest  premonition.  The  ridge 
of  highland,  the  rounded  extremity  of  which  forms  the  Cape,  trends 
inland,  in  a  diagonal  line  from  the  coast;  and  on  a  depression  of  that 
ridge,  about  half  a  mile  from  the  light-house,  the  principal  part  of  the 
town  is  built.  But  many  houses  are  scattered  about  on  the  inland 
slope,  at  the  foot  of  which  are  several  stone  warehouses,  facing  the  broad 
sheet  of  water  formed  by  the  junction  of  Stockton  creek  coming  down 
from  the  north,  and  the  river  Mesurado  from  the  east.  A  stone's  throw 
from  the  shore  is  Carey  island,  on  which  the  settlement  was  first 
made ;  where  the  colonists  were  obliged,  with  arms  in  their  hands,  to 
procure  water  for  their  daily  use.  Stockton  creek  separates  Bushrod 
island,  a  densely  wooded  flat,  from  the  mainland;  and  connects,  at  its 
northern  extremity,  with  the  river  St.  Paul's,  one  and  a  half  mile  from 
the  mouth  of  the  latter. 

Just  within  the  swell  of  the  Cape,  in  a  kind  of  bay,  where,  except 
in  northerly  winds,  the  sea  breaks  gently  upon  the  shore,  is  the  usual 
landing.  Immediately  back  of  the  crest  of  the  shelving  shore,  just 
beyond  the  reach  of  the  heaviest  breakers,  is  a  small  African  village, 
inhabited  mostly  by  males,  who  come  from  their  native  districts  in 
search  of  occupation.  Their  huts  are  constructed  of  wattled  cane, 
lined  with  mats,  and  are  smaller  than  those  at  Sierra  Leone  and  the 
Gambia.  They  have  no  enclosures,  and  make  no  attempt  to  cultivate 
the  soil ;  but  look  only  to  the  sea  for  their  subsistence.  They  are  called 
Kroomen,  and  their  distinctive  mark  is  an  arrow  tattooed  on  each 
temple,  the  point  towards  the  eye.  Their  only  dress  was  a  piece  of 
blue  cloth,  sometimes  merely  a  handkerchief,  worn  around  the  loins. 

From  the  village  we  crossed  the  neck  of  the  low  peninsula  which 
terminates  in  Cape  Ashmun,  at  the  river's  mouth;  and,  walking  along 
an  elevated  foot-path,  we  saw  a  number  of  small  cattle,  spotted  black 
and  white,  in  fine  condition.  These,  with  the  exception  of  some  goats, 
a  dog,  and  a  few  lean  and  prowling  swine,  were  the  only  quadrupeds 
we  encountered. 

Instead  of  turning  up  to  the  town  by  a  road  which  led  to  the  right, 
we  kept  along  the  base  of  the  ridge,  and  soon  came  to  the  wharves, 
where  two  small  vessels  were  building  and  one  undergoing  repair, 
and  about  the  stores  were  a  number  of  palm-oil  casks  and  some  large 
canoes,  all  indicating  a  degree  of  commercial  activity ;  thence,  ascend- 
ing the  rough  hill-side,  we  passed  several  houses,  one  of  them  a  sub- 
stantial church,  nearly  finished,  and  in  a  few  moments  reached  Broad- 
way, the  central  and  principal  street  of  the  town.  This  street,  and  those 
parallel  to  it,  run  nearly  north  and  south,  and  at  regular  intervals  are 


H.    Doc.   1.  21 

intersected  by  others  at  right-angles,  all  broad  and  straight,  but,  ex- 
cepting a  path  in  the  centre  of  each,  much  overgrown  with  senna  and 
wild  indigo. 

Monrovia,  which  contains  about  300  houses  and  2,000  inhabitants,  is 
built,  as  I  have  said,  on  a  depression  of  the  ridge  which  sweeps  inland 
from  the  cape.  About  midway  the  length  of  the  principal  street  ihe 
land  swells  up  like  an  earth-wave,  and  sinks  immediately  down  the 
street,  crossing  the  summit  and  following  the  declivity.  On  the  sum- 
mit is  Fort  Hill,  where,  in  December,  1822,  in  the  infancy  of  the  set- 
tlement, the  heroic  Ashmun,  rising  from  his  bed  of  sickness,  with 
thirty-four  brave  colonists  repulsed  an  assault  made  by  eight  hundred 
savages. 

The  houses  are  detached,  being  built  on  lots  of  a  quarter  of  an  acre 
each.  They  are  of  good  size,  some  two  stories,  but  most  of  them  one 
and  a  half,  consisting  of  a  single  story  of  frame  resting  on  a  basement 
of  stone,  with  a  portico  front  and  rear.  Many  of  them  were  neatly, 
and  two  or  three  handsomely,  furnished.  There  were  twelve  houses 
under  construction,  mostly  of  stone  ;  and  there  were,  besides,  a  few 
which  looked  in  good  preservation  ;  but  most  of  the  frame  dwellings 
presented  an  old  and  dilapidated  appearance,  owing  to  the  humid 
climate  during  half  the  year,  the  scarcity  of  whitewash  and  paint,  and 
the  ravages  of  the  beeg — a  bug — a  destructive  species  of  termite.  For 
the  last  reason,  all  the  new  houses  not  built  in  the  native  fashion — of 
wattles,  mud,  and  grass — are  constructed  of  stone,  while  the  old  frame 
ones  are  abandoned  to  decay. 

In  almost  every  yard  there  were  fruit-trees — mostly  the  lime,  the 
lemon,  the  banana,  the  pawpaw — and  the  coffee-tree ;  sometimes  the 
orange,  and  now  and  then  the  soursop  and  the  tamarind.  The  oranges 
were  good,  but  scarce ;  and  the  lemons  large  and  fine.  The  cocoa 
grows  abundantly,  and  the  pomegranate,  the  fig,  the  vine,  and  a  tree 
bearing  the  cashew-nut,  are  to  be  seen,  but  not  in  abundance. 

The  soil  is  thin  and  not  productive,  resting  upon  a  ferruginous  rock 
which  occasionally  crops  out.  The  gardens  are  enclosed  by  wooden 
palings,  generally  in  a  state  of  decay,  or  by  stone  walls  without  mor- 
tar. In  them  were  only  a  few  collards  and  some  cassada,  sweet  po- 
tatoes, and  arrow-root.  But  it  is  not  the  proper  season  for  vegetables, 
and  a  few  months  hence  these  gardens  may,  and  doubtless  will,  pre- 
sent a  more  gratifying  appearance. 

The  suburbs,  the  river,  and  the  inner  harbor,  are  commanded  by 
Fort  Hill,  as  the  outer  anchorage  is  by  that  of  Fort  Norris  at  the  cape. 

The  view  from  Fort  Hill  is  a  very  fine  one.  To  the  west  and  south- 
west it  overlooks  the  houses  and  the  trees  far  out  upon  the  sea ;  on 
the  north  and  east,  Stockton  creek  and  the  two  branches  of  the  Mesu- 
rado  flow  gently  through  an  alluvial  plain ;  and  to  the  southeast  the 
eye  follows  the  direction  of  the  ridge  which  stretches  far  into  the  in- 
terior. 

On  Broadway,  south  of  Fort  Hill,  is  the  government  house — a  large 
stone  building,  with  arched  windows  and  a  balcony  in  front.  The 
lower  floor  is  used  as  a  court-room  and  printing-office,  and  the  upper  as 
the  hall  of  legislative  council;  behind  it  is  the  jail;  directly  opposite  is 
the  President's  mansion — a  double  two-stoiy  brick-house,  with  a  front 


22  H.  Doc.    1. 

portico — its  roof  sustained  by  lofty  columns.  It  is  the  most  imposing 
building  in  the  place.  There  are  five  churches,  all  well  attended. 
Indeed,  I  never  saw  a  more  thoroughgoing  church  community,  or  heard 
a  greater  rustling  of  silk,  on  the  dispersal  of  a  congregation,  than  here  ; 
all  were  at  least  sufficiently  attired ;  and  the  dresses  of  the  children 
were  in  better  taste  than  those  of  their  mothers.  One  of  the  most  grat- 
ifying things  I  noticed  was  the  great  number  of  well-dressed  and  well- 
behaved  children  in  the  schools  and  about  the  streets.  The  schools 
are  also  numerous  and  well  attended.  I  did  not  see  sufficient  to  justify 
the  expression  of  an  opinion,  except  that,  while  I  noticed  the  attendance 
was  full  in  almost  every  one,  it  seemed  to  me  that,  in  some  instances, 
the  acquirements  of  the  teachers  were  surpassed  by  the  capacities  01 
their  scholars ;  but  for  all  the  purposes  of  rudimental  education  the 
materials  are  ample.  I  feel  a  delicacy  in  alluding  to  this  subject,  and 
only  say  what  has  escaped  me  from  a  solicitude  that  the  generation 
now  coming  forward  may  sustain  the  institutions  of  the  republic. 

The  colonists  were  all  decently  clothed ;  and  of  the  natives  moving 
about  the  streets,  with  very  few  exceptions,  the  most  indifferently  clad 
wore  a  long  loose  shirt,  but  their  heads  and  legs  were  bare.  One  of 
the  latter  I  saw  reading  apparently  a  book  which  he  held  before  him 
as  he  walked. 

On  the  outskirts  of  the  town  is  a  large  coffee  grove,  which  did  not 
seem  to  be  in  a  thriving  condition  ;  and  altogether,  in  and  around 
Monrovia,  agriculture  wore  a  languishing  appearance.  This  is  doubt- 
less owing,  in  part,  to  the  poverty  of  the  soil,  and  in  part  to  ihe  over- 
weening spirit  of  trade  ;  there  being  evidently  a  preponderance  of  petty 
retail  shops.  I  must  say,  however,  that  the  town  presented  a  far  more 
prosperous  appearance  than  I  had  been  led  to  anticipate.  From  its 
fine  situation  it  must  eventually  be  a  salubrious  one.  The  sea-breeze 
at  all  seasons  blows  directly  over  it,  and  in  this  respect  it  is  far  prefer- 
able to  Sierra  Leone.  The  bifurcation  of  the  river  St.  Paul's  to  the 
north  gives,  through  Stockton  creek,  its  southern  branch,  a  direct  and 
easy  access  to  that  river  at  all  times,  without  encountering  the  perils 
of  either  bar.  On  the  southeast  the  east  branch  of  the  Mesurado  is 
separated  by  a  portage  only  five  miles  from  the  head  of  Junk  river, 
which  flows  into  the  sea  thirty-five  miles  down  the  coast.  Monrovia 
will  therefore  be  the  outlet  of  the  products  of  an  extent  of  country  not 
less  than  1,250  square  miles. 

During  the  time  of  the  Portuguese  ascendency,  the  Mesurado  was 
called  Rio  Duro,  from  the  cruelty  of  the  natives — a  cruelty  fostered,  if 
not  engendered,  by  the  whites. 

It  is  but  fair  to  state,  that  the  land  on  the  northeast  Mesurado  gives 
little  promise  of  being  soon  brought  into  cultivation.  The  banks  are  so 
low  as  to  be  overflowed  at  every  tide,  and  are  covered,  as  far  as  the 
eye  can  reach,  with  an  impenetrable  growth  of  mangroves,  while  the 
sluggish  stream  is  discolored  by  the  black  mud  of  the  marshes,  from 
which,  at  low  water,  a  most  offensive  odor  is  exhaled. 

At  13  miles  from  Monrovia,  the  east  branch  is  too  shallow  for  canoe 
navigation;  and  a  quarter  of  a  mile  above  its  source  is  an  extensive 
morass,  overgrown  with  long  grass  and  mangrove  bushes.  The  scenery 
is  the  same  as  that  on  the  northeast  branch.     A  short  distance  from  the 


H.  Doc.  1.  23 

morass  is  a  native  village ;  the  soil  around  it  exhausted  from  repeated 
cultivation,  and  producing  little  else  than  cassada. 

From  thence,  across  the  portage,  to  the  Red  Junk  river,  the  surface 
of  the  country  is  nearly  level,  with  extensive  fields,  no  longer  under 
cultivation,  skirted  with  open  forests.  The  soil  is  light  loam,  intermixed 
with  sand,  and  producing  only  a  long,  coarse  grass.  In  some  places 
the  plain  is  thickly  studded  with  tumuli,  formed  by  the  Termite  belli- 
cosi,  (called  by  the  natives  bug-a-bug.)  These  mounds  are  from  8  to 
12  feet  high,  and  10  to  14  thick  at  the  base:  some  having  been  aban- 
doned by  the  ants,  were  covered  with  grass  embrowned  by  the  sun, 
which  gave  them,  at  a  distance,  the  appearance  of  native  huts. 

While  observing  as  well  as  I  could  the  condition  of  things  around 
me,  I  did  not  lose  sight  of  the  principal  object  of  my  mission,  and  soon 
after  my  arrival  set  out  for  the  St.  Paul's,  in  a  boat  manned  by  natives. 
For  the  first  six  miles  our  course  was  up  Stockton  creek,  a  wide  and 
shallow  stream,  with  a  low  mangrove  swamp  on  each  side,  (Rhizoj)hera 
mangle,)  which,  like  the  Fieus  religiosa  of  India,  propagates  itself  in 
a  two-fold  manner :  by  perpendicular  shoots  descending  lrom  its  branches, 
and  by  dropping  its  long,  slender,  sharp-pointed  seed-pods,  which  im- 
plant themselves  in  the  soft  mud  beneath,  and  then  take  root  and  grow 
up  into  trees,  with  almost  as  many  stems  as  branches.  On  the  edge  of 
the  banks,  on  each  side,  the  mangroves  throw  down  their  long,  fantastic 
shoots,  and  within  them  the  tops  of  lofty  trees  arch  overhead,  their 
branches  interlaced  with  parasitic  creepers,  while  through  the  crevices 
of  the  foliage  the  flickering  sunshine  streams  upon  the  sluggish  water. 

From  the  growth  of  trees  of  which  we  occasionally  caught  a  glimpse 
through  the  mangrove  border,  there  was  evidently  a  drier  soil  some  dis- 
tance inland;  but  the  shores  of  the  creek,  with  the  exception  of  two 
small  clearings — one  the  site  of  a  native  village,  the  other  the  landing  of 
New  Georgia — were  for  nearly  the  whole  distance  one  inexplicable  net- 
work of  tangled  roots  and  twisted  stems  and  branches.  Through  this 
net- work  we  occasionally  caught  sight  of  a  monkey  frisking  about  the 
tree-tops,  and  sometimes  disturbed  a  crocodile  (miscalled  alligator)  from 
his  sleep,  and  saw  him  clumsily  flounder  away  through  the  mud  to  fin- 
ish his  slumber  elsewhere.  These,  with  some  mud-snipes  and  curlews, 
were  the  only  living  things  we  saw.  Such  an  effect  had  the  solitude 
and  the  scene  upon  me,  that  I  almost  wound  myself  up  to  the  expecta- 
tion of  beholding  the  huge  iguanadon  dragging  himself  through  the  fetid 
slime. 

There  was  not  a  sign  of  cultivation,  nor  of  an  attempt  to  reclaim  the 
soil ;  and  the  stifling  hot  weather,  the  sluggish  stream,  and  the  tainted 
odor  of  putrescent  vegetable  matter,  painfully  depressed  my  spirits ;  but 
when  we  passed  the  lower  settlement  of  Caldwell  and  entered  a  bold, 
swift-flowing  river,  three-fourths  of  a  mile  in  width,  with  banks  10  to 
30  feet  high,  dotted  with  farm-houses,  few  of  them  a  quarter  of  a  mile 
apart,  it  was  like  the  shifting  of  a  scene  in  a  theatre,  and  I  gazed  with 
satisfaction  upon  the  beautiful  sight. 

Nothing  had  been  told  me  to  excite  anticipation ;  and  the  transition 
was  therefore  as  unexpected  as  it  was  gratifying.  The  breeze,  no 
longer  intercepted,  swept  refreshingly  up  from  the  sea,  but  half  a  mile 


24  H.    Doc.   1. 

distant  by  the  river ;  and,  turning  our  boat's  head  up  stream,  we  jo}r- 
fully  pursued  our  way. 

The  banks  are  uneven — at  some  places  high  and  steep ;  at  others 
coming  down  with  a  slope  to  the  water's  edge.  On  each  side  is  a  belt 
of  cultivation,  with  a  dense  forest-growth  behind  it;  and  the  most  con- 
spicuous objects  of  the  scene  were  the  light-green,  broad-leaved  foliage 
of  the  banana,  clustering  about  every  settlement,  and  the  detached  and 
distant  palm-trees,  which  reared  their  dark,  tufted  heads  above  the  sur- 
rounding mass  of  vegetation. 

The  appearance  of  this  tree  is  majestic,  yet  graceful.  Its  round, 
smooth  trunk  springs,  shaft-like,  into  the  air,  from  sixty  to  upwards  of 
a  hundred  feet,  and  then  expands  its  rich,  fringe-like  leaves  into  a 
canopy,  twenty  or  thirty  feet  in  diameter. 

The  St.  Paul's  narrows  very  gradually  in  ascending  it,  and  to  the 
head  of  navigation  is  nowhere  less  than  one-fourth  of  a  mile  in  width. 
For  the  whole  distance  of  fourteen  miles  from  its  mouth,  there  is  a  greater 
depth  of  water  in  the  channel  of  the  river  than  on  the  bars  ;  and,  for 
its  length,  it  is  a  magnificent  stream,  pouring  down  such  a  volume  of 
water  as  to  render  it  certain  that,  however  soon  its  navigation  may  be 
interrupted,  it  has  its  sources  far  in  the  interior. 

The  soil  on  both  sides  is  a  loamy  clay,  equal  in  fertility  to  the  best 
sugar  lands  in  Brazil.  There  are  on  the  banks  of  the  river  four  hun- 
dred farms  and  three  thousand  cultivators.  Many  of  the  houses  are 
built  of  brick,  two  of  them  double-sized  two-story  ones,  and  there  were 
seven  brick-kilns. 

J  landed  at  four  or  five  places,  and  saw  every  indication  of  comfort 
and  prosperity — far  more  so  than  in  Monrovia.  The  houses  were  well 
furnished,  and  in  one  of  them  was  a  room,  specially  assigned  for  the 
purpose,  which  contained  a  small  but  good  library.  The  principal  arti- 
cles I  saw  in  cultivation  were  sugar,  coffee,  cassada,  arrow-root,  yams, 
sweet  potatoes,  and  a  few  ground-nuts.  Among  the  fruits  were  the 
luscious  pine-apple,  oranges,  lemons,  limes,  bananas,  plantains,  and 
the  paw-paw ;  the  last,  in  cooking,  an  excellent  substitute  for  the 
apple.  A  little  cotton  is  raised  for  domestic  use.  The  sugar-cane  was 
growing  finely  ;  and  at  one  of  the  farms  I  witnessed  the  operation  of 
grinding  it.  The  apparatus,  in  part  the  invention  of  the  owner,  was 
an  ingenious  one,  but  very  wasteful  in  its  process  ;  yet  the  proprietor 
expected  to  make  nine  thousand  pounds  of  sugar  and  several  hundred 
gallons  of  molasses  this  year.  I  tasted  the  sirup,  which,  owing,  I  pre- 
sume, to  the  high  temperature,  was  thinner  than  I  have  seen  it  during 
the  grinding  season  in  Louisiana.  Some  of  the  sugar  of  last  year's 
crop  was  as  light  in  color  and  as  well  granulated  as  the  best  Porto 
Rico  I  have  seen.  I  scarce  think,  however,  that  sugar  can  to  any 
extent  be  profitably  cultivated,  owing  to  the  deficiency  of  capital  and 
the  consequent  want  of  machinery. 

Coffee  will,  I  think,  become  eventually  the  great  staple  of  this  sec- 
tion of  country.  The  tree  grows  indigenous,  can  be  transplanted  with 
ease,  and  requires  little  care  in  its  cultivation  ;  and,  where  it  is  not  ex- 
tensively grown,  its  berry  may  be  gathered  as  a  pastime  by  women  and 
children.  I  was  shown  one  sample  raised  on  the  St.  Paul's,  and  tried 
another  gathered  in  Monrovia.     The  last,  which  I  did  not  see  in  the 


H.  Doc.  1.  25 

berry,  was  excellent ;  but  I  cannot  sustain  the  assertion  that  it  is  better 
than  the  Mocha.  The  former  was  of  a  clear  light  color,  and  the  grains 
were  the  largest  I  have  ever  seen  ;  I  am  not  aware,  however,  that  the 
large  size  of  the  grain  is,  per  se,  an  indication  of  superior  quality. 

From  all  that  I  could  observe  or  learn  from  others,  a  taste  lor  agri- 
culture is  becoming  prevalent ;  and  I  cannot  give  a  better  idea  of  the 
prosperity  of  the  settlements  on  the  St.  Paul's,  than  by  stating  that 
cleared  land  fronting  on  the  river  sells  at  from  $40  to  $50  per  acre. 
Some  of  the  country  seats  looked  beautiful  from  the  river,  and  their 
names  are  characteristic  of  their  owners ;  some  being  unpretending, 
but  expressive;  some  classic,  and  some  scriptural — "Pleasant  View," 
"Iconium,"  and  "  Mount  Horeb." 

Opposite  to  Caldwell  is  the  settlement  of  New  Virginia;  where,  in 
1847,  the  government  of  the  United  States  built  a  receptacle  for  libe- 
rated Africans.  Higher  up  are  Kentucky,  Heddington,  and  Millsburg. 
Heddington  was  fiercely  attacked  by  the  natives  in  1841,  and  gallantly 
defended  by  a  missionary  and  one  of  the  colonists  ;  the  leader  of  the 
assailants  was  killed  and  his  party  dispersed.  These  four  are  little 
more  than  a  close  contiguity  of  small  farms ;  but  Millsburg,  at  the  head 
of  navigation,  and  the  farthest  inland  settlement  in  Liberia,  is  a  flour- 
ishing village  and  missionary  school  station ;  and  on  the  opposite  side 
of  the  river  is  the  mission  of"  White  Plains." 

From  its  situation,  Millsburg  must  be  comparatively  healthy,  and  is 
certainly  beautiful.  The  river,  separated  by  an  island  into  two  chan- 
nels, there  forces  itself  over  a  rocky  ledge  with  the  rushing  sweep  and 
hoarse  sound  of  a  rapid.  The  ledge  is,  however,  a  narrow  one,  and  a 
channel  through  it  might  be  blasted  with  gunpowder,  or  it  could  be 
flanked  by  a  canal.  Above  the  ledge  the  stream  is  unobstructed  for 
about  ten  miles,  and  the  country  through  which  it  flows  is  yet  more 
rolling  and  beautiful  than  it  is  below  the  rapids.  The  soil  is  a  rich 
mould,  formed  by  the  vegetable  decay  of  centuries,  resting  on  a  sub- 
stratum of  clay,  and  covered  with  a  luxuriant  forest. 

At  the  rapids  are  a  number  of  islands,  clothed  with  luxuriant  vege- 
tation ;  and,  as  was  remarked  by  the  lamented  Dr.  Randall,  the  islands 
differ  from  each  other  in  their  verdure,  and  from  that  of  the  main  land. 
Each  one  seems  to  have  caught,  in  the  autumnal  inundations,  the  seeds 
and  roots  of  particular  plants  and  shrubs  brought  down  from  the  in- 
terior; for,  while  differing  from  those  on  the  main,  no  two  resemble 
each  other  in  their  peculiar  foliage. 

Above  the  islands  the  country  is  represented  as  most  beautiful, 
bearing  trees  of  immense  size,  clear  of  undergrowth,  and  having  their 
branches  interwoven  with  vines,  and  decorated  with  gaudy  parasitic 
plants,  forming  a  shade  impervious  to  the  sun,  and  imparting  a  coolness 
to  the  atmosphere  which  is  truly  delightful.  The  stream,  irregular  in 
its  width,  sometimes  forces  its  way  through  fissures  in  the  rocks,  and 
at  others  forms  deep  pools,  where  the  water  is  so  transparent  that  the 
bottom  is  distinctly  visible.  It  seems  as  if  the  foot  of  man  had  never 
trodden  these  lovely  solitudes,  where  the  silence  is  only  interrupted  by 
the  murmuring  sound  of  water,  the  scream  of  the  fish-hawk,  and  the 
chattering  of  monkeys  pursuing  their  gambols  among  the  trees. 


26  H.    Doc.  1. 

This  must,  however,  be  taken  cum  grano  salis;  for,  in  the  rainy- 
season  the  river  overflows  its  banks  and  inundates  the  country. 

The  river  St.  Paul's  has  its  source  in  the  same  range  of  hills  from 
which  the  Karamanka  issues ;  and,  by  barometrical  measurement,  these 
hills  are  1,400  feet  in  height,  which  is  about  the  elevation  of  the  head- 
waters of  the  Mississippi.  The  scenery  of  the  upper  St.  Paul's  will, 
therefore,  compare  with  that  of  the  Karamanka,  although  more  than 
two  degrees  intervene  between  their  outlets. 

The  late  Major  Laing  thus  describes  the  country  bordering  on  the 
latter  river: 

"  The  valleys  are  picturesque  and  fertile,  and  are  watered  by  nu- 
merous rivulets,  which,  running  from  north  to  south,  collect  behind  the 
lofty  hill  of  Botato,  and  contribute  in  swelling  the  river  Karamanka. 
I  was  frequently  induced  to  stop  to  contemplate  the  lovely  scene  around 
me,  consisting  of  extensive  meadows  clothed  with  verdure ;  fields,  from 
which  the  springing  rice  was  sending  forth  its  vivid  shoots,  not  inferior 
in  beauty  and  health  to  the  corn-fields  of  England  in  March,  inter- 
spersed he*e  and  there  with  a  patch  of  ground  studded  with  palm- 
trees;  while  the  neighboring  hills,  some  clothed  with  rich  foliage — 
some  exhibiting  a  bald  and  weather-beaten  appearance,  formed  a  noble 
theatre  around  me.  We  left  the  town  of  Nijiniah,  on  the  Karamanka, 
and  having  walked  an  hour  and  three-quarters,  gained  the  summit  of 
one  of  the  hills;  and  in  one  direction,  on  the  opposite  side,  a  scene 
quite  panoramic  broke  upon  the  view:  an  extensive  valley,  partly 
cultivated  and  partly  covered  with  a  long,  natural  grass,  about  five 
feet  high,  with  lines  of  stately  palm-trees,  as  regular  as  if  laid  out  by 
art,  and  here  and  there  a  cluster  of  camwood  trees,  their  deep  shade 
affording  a  relief  to  the  lighter  hue  of  the  smaller  herbage. 

"  These,  with  a  murmuring  rivulet,  meandering  through  the  centre, 
exhibited  the  appearance  of  a  well  cultivated  and  tastefully  arranged 
garden,  rather  than  a  tract  amid  the  wilds  of  Africa;  whilst,  in  the 
distance,  mountain  towered  above  mountain  in  all  the  grandeur  and 
magnificence  of  nature." 

Without  being  so  wide  or  so  impetuous  in  its  current,  there  is  much 
in  the  St.  Paul's  (one  feature  excepted)  to  suggest  what  might  have 
been  the  appearance  of  the  Mississippi  above  La  Fourche,  and  below 
Baton  Rouge,  before  the  less  pretending  houses  of  the  Creole  planters 
were  displaced  by  the  stately  mansions  of  the  present  proprietors. 

The  St.  Paul's  connects,  it  is  said,  with  Half-cape  Mount  river  by 
a  branch  that  runs  parallel  with  the  coast,  and  both  abound  in  fish  and 
a  small  species  of  the  "  Hippopotamus  liberiensis"  thus  named  by  the 
late  Dr.  Morton,  of  Philadelphia,  from  crania  sent  to  him  by  Dr. 
Goheen.  This  animal  is  said  to  be  extremely  tenacious  of  life,  and, 
except  to  gunpowder  and  ball,  almost  invulnerable.  When  injured  he 
becomes  dangerous ;  but  if  unmolested,  never,  the  natives  say,  attacks 
any  one.  The  flavor  of  the  flesh  is  described  as  intermediate  between 
that  of  veal  and  beef. 

About  seventy  miles  from  Millsburg,  in  a  direction  a  little  east  ot 
north,  is  Boporah,  a  large  native  town,  formerly  containing  more  than 
a  thousand  houses,  fortified  with  a  strong  barricade.  The  path  to  it 
leads  through  a  dense  forest,  in  which  there  are  elephants  and  a  great 


H.    Doc.  1  27 

many  other  wild  animals.  For  the  first  fifty  miles  there  are  no  villages, 
and  the  only  natives  met  with  are  the  elephant-hunters,  who  are  nu- 
merous, and  represented  as  friendly.  The  St.  Paul's  passes  within 
25   miles  of  the  town,  winding,  in  its  course,  among  many  islands. 

On  both  shores  of  Stockton  creek,  as  well  as  on  the  Mesurado,  are 
many  alligators'  nests.  They  are  about  four  feet  high,  and  five  in 
diameter  at  the  base,  made  of  mud  and  grass,  very  much  resembling 
haycocks.  The  female  first  deposites  a  layer  of  eggs  on  a  floor  of  a 
kind  of  mortar,  aud  she  and  her  mate  having  covered  this  with  mud 
and  herbage,  she  lays  another  set  of  eggs,  and  so  on  to  the  top ;  there 
being  sometimes  as  many  as  two  hundred  eggs  in  a  nest.  All  is  plas- 
tered over  with  mud  by  the  tail,  and  the  grass  around  the  nest  is  beat 
down  with  the  same  member,  to  prevent  an  unseen  approach  of  ene- 
mies. The  female  then  watches  the  nest  until  the  young  are  hatched 
by  the  heal  of  the  sun ;  when  she  takes  them  under  her  care. 

In  order  not  to  lose  time  waiting  for  the  steamer  which  had  been 
promised  me,  I  requested  Commander  Barron  to  convey  me  to  the  Junk 
river,  about  thirty  miles  down  the  coast.  Leaving  an  order,  therefore, 
for  the  Vixen  to  follow,  we  weighed  anchor  in  the  afternoon  of  a  clear, 
warm  day,  and,  sailing  slowly  southward,  had  the  best  view  of  Mon- 
rovia, spread  out  on  the  cleared  portion  of  the  ridge,  where  it  is  de- 
pressed within  eighty  feet  of  the  sea. 

From  Cape  Mesurado  to  the  Junk  river,  the  coast  runs  in  a  south 
east  direction  ;  and  presents,  as  heretofore,  the  same  low  line  of  sand, 
with  a  back-ground  of  forest  for  eight  or  ten  miles,  where  a  slightly 
elevated  ridge  is  thrown  up  immediately  upon  the  shore.  About  the 
same  distance  from  it,  but  further  inland,  are  the  "Crown"  and  the 
"Cockscomb" — two  isolated  hillocks;  and  beyond  them,  and  thrice 
the  distance  inland  from  the  coast,  south  of  the  Junk  river,  are  two 
remarkable  peaks  with  a  depressed  ridge  between,  called  "  Saddle 
Hill,"  towering  above  the  sea  of  verdure,  and  measuring  1,070  feet  in 
height.  Beyond  the  Saddle  Hill  are  two  other  peaks,  dimly  visible 
in  the  distance.  With  these  interruptions,  all  else  is  a  sandy  beach, 
edged  with  a  glittering  line  of  light,  where  the  surf  breaks  upon  it, 
backed  by  a  vast  forest  stretching  to  the  horizon. 

Anchoring  off  the  mouth  of  the  Junk  river,  I  was  compelled  to  re- 
main nearly  two  days  inactive,  in  cousequence  of  heavy  breakers  on 
the  bar.  It  was  the  change  of  the  moon ;  and  the  colonists  maintain, 
that  at  such  times,  from  the  increased  swell,  the  passage  of  the  bar  is 
impracticable. 

When  the  swell  seemed  to  have  sufficiently  subsided,  with  the  native 
crew  which  always  accompanied  me,  I  started  for  the  shore.  These 
men  were  of  the  Nifou  tribe,  whose  territory  is  farther  down  the  coast. 

Although  muscular,  active,  and  in  the  open  sea  fearless  in  the  man- 
agement of  their  canoes,  a  circumstance  occurred  on  our  way  to  the 
shore,  which  satisfied  me  that  they  are  not  to  be  relied  upon  in  danger. 
Trusting  to  the  head  man,  who  steered  the  boat  and  directed  the  crew, 
ten  in  number,  how.  to  manage  the  oars,  (for  on  their  skilful  manage- 
ment almost  everything  depends,)  I  felt  no  apprehension,  and  directed 
my  attention  to  the  shore,  which  we  were  rapidly  approaching.  A 
startling  exclamation  roused  me;  and  looking  back,  I  saw  a  low,  black 


28  H.  Doc.  1. 

cloud  sweeping  towards  us,  and  driving  a  huge  wave  before  it.  We 
were  almost  on  the  bar ;  and  the  terrified  crew  were  divided  in  opin- 
ion as  to  whether  we  could  cross  it  before  the  gigantic  roller  overtook 
us.  To  be  caught  by  it  before  we  were  safely  over  would  be  certain 
destruction.  At  this  trying  time  the  panic-stricken  boatmen  failed  me ; 
and  in  loud  confusion  they  argued  what  should  be  done,  when  every 
instant's  inactivity  increased  the  peril  fourfold.  But  as  soon  as  the  ques- 
tion was  settled  lor  them,  and  the  steersman  was  directed  to  turn  the 
boat's  head  towards  the  southern  shore,  they  gave  way  with  all  their 
might,  and,  although  borne  down  to  the  very  edge  of  the  outer  break- 
ers, we  gained  the  beach  in  safety.  I  am  satisfied  that,  with  a  good 
pilot,  it  would  be  less  dangerous  to  cross  these  difficult  bars  in  a  boat 
manned  by  white  men. 

We  landed  just  below  Bassa  Point,  near  the  dwelling  of  a  colonist. 
It  was  recently  built,  in  a  clearing  in  the  midst  of  a  grove  of  palm- 
trees  ;  and  I  found  him,  with  three  or  four  natives  in  his  employment, 
busied  in  extracting  from  the  palm-nut  the  rich  oil  it  yields.  After 
resting  a  short  time  under  his  thatched  roof,  with  the  assistance  of  his 
laborers,  we  dragged  the  boat  up  the  high,  shelving  bank,  and  over  a 
narrow  strip  of  sand,  and  launched  her  in  the  South  Junk,  which,  flow- 
ing nearly  parallel  with  the  coast,  unites  with  the  other  branches  just 
inside  the  bar. 

From  thence  we  pulled  over  to  the  village  of  Marshall,  on  the  north- 
ern bank,  about  half  a  mile  from  the  river's  mouth.  This  was  the  last 
settlement  made  by  the  parent  Colonization  Society  in  Liberia.  It  is 
elevated  about  forty  feet  above  the  river,  and  its  situation  is  a  fine  one 
in  appearance ;  but  the  soil  around  it  is  poor,  and  the  place  far  from 
flourishing.  Originally  laid  out  on  an  enlarged  plan,  it  now  contains 
but  thirty  or  forty  houses,  built  along  the  river-bank — a  few  of  them 
frame  buildings,  but  most  of  them  plastered  mud-walls,  with  thatched 
roofs — many  presenting  a  dilapidated  appearance. 

The  only  article  of  export  I  saw  was  a  quantity  of  lime,  made  from 
the  oyster-sheH  upon  the  shore ;  and  I  was  assured  that  this  place 
wholly  supplies  Monrovia,  and  partly  the  other  settlements,  with  this 
invaluable  building  material.  Oysters  are  plentiful  here  ;  but  they  are 
only  palatable  when  cooked  ;  and  the  river  abounds  with  mullet. 
There  is  some  small  traffic  here  with  the  natives  in  camwood,  palm- 
oil,  and  a  little  ivory ;  but  it  is  much  interfered  with  by  dealers  from 
Monrovia. 

It  being  Sunday  when  I  arrived,  after  conversing  with  some  of  the 
citizens,  I  accepted  an  invitation  to  attend  church,  and  there  heard  a 
sermon  from  a  venerable  colored  preacher  which  I  shall  not  soon  forget. 
I  have  heard  many  stereotyped  sermons,  but  never  one  to  move  me  as 
much  as  this.  The  distant  booming  of  the  surf  on  one  side,  through 
which  I  had  to  pass  to  rejoin  my  companions,  and  the  dark,  teeming 
forest  upon  the  other,  tended,  no  doubt,  to  enhance  the  solemnity  of  the 
scene;  for,  seated  upon  a  rush  floor  beneath  a  roof  of  thatch,  as  I  lis- 
tened to  the  earnest  tones  of  the  feeble  old  man,  I  never  felt  more  im- 
pressed with  a  sense  of  my  own  undeserving.  I  mention  this,  because 
I  conceive  that  I  should  withhold  nothing  which  may  convey  a  correct 
idea  of  the  impressions  made  on  me  in  Liberia.     In  a  personal  sense, 


H.  Doc.  1.  29 

these  impressions  ue,  insignificant  and  wholly  unworthy  of  record. 
Their  only  importance  is  derived  from  the  scene  which  gave  them  birth, 
and  from  the  inference  to  be  drawn  from  it,  that  Christianity  has  its  ex- 
emplars in  benighted  Africa,  as  well  as  in  our  own  more  favored  land. 

About  a  mile  above  the  settlement  is  the  confluence  of  two  streams — 
the  Red  Junk,  flowing  down  from  the  north,  and  the  Junk,  or  main 
stream,  from  the  east.  The  Red  Junk,  near  its  source,  is  connected 
with  the  eastern  branch  of  the  Mesurado  by  a  narrow  portage.  At 
the  junction  the  banks  of  both  streams  are  low  and  bordered  with  man- 
grove thickets. 

About  two  miles  up  the  Red  Junk  there  is  a  native  village,  and  from 
thence  the  banks  become  more  elevated  and  present  a  more  attractive 
appearance.  The  palm-trees  become  more  frequent,  and,  in  the  space 
of  twenty  miles,  the  scene  is  enlivened  by  a  number  of  villages — the 
light-green  leaves  of  the  banana  indicating  their  locality  long  before 
the  brown  roofs  become  visible.  The  course  of  the  stream  is  winding, 
and  its  width  various;  at  times  but  150  to  200  yards,  with  compara- 
tively high  banks,  and  again  spreading  out  to  nearly  a  mile  in  width, 
with  low  and  sedgy  shores. 

The  vegetation  is  very  luxuriant  and  much  diversified  in  its  charac- 
ter. The  scenery  of  the  river's  banks  is  described  as  rich  beyond  con- 
ception. 

"  Trees  of  singular  form  and  foliage  spring  from  the  deep,  rich  soil, 
and  rear  their  heads  to  an  amazing  height ;  while  their  branches  are 
covered  with  a  beautiful  drapery  of  vines,  forming  a  dense  shade,  and 
hanging,  in  many  places,  to  the  surface  of  the  water." 

Looking  closely  at  these  trees,  a  large  black  knot  is  occasionally  seen 
swelling  irregularly  out  of  the  branch  to  which  it  attaches.  It  would 
be  set  down  as  a  fungus,  but  that  a  more  scrutinizing  glance  detects 
the  head  of  a  snake  projected  above  the  coil,  in  an  attitude  of  menacing 
vigilance.  On  the  near  approach  of  the  boat  every  fold  is  shaken  out, 
as  by  a  single  effort,  and  the  snake  precipitates  itself  into  the  water  and 
disappears.  It  is  the  well-known  black  snake,  measuring  from  four  to 
six  feet  in  length  and  two  to  four  inches  in  diameter,  which  frequents 
the  banks  of  rivers,  and  is  said,  by  the  natives,  to  be  amphibious. 

The  fertility  of  the  soil,  combined  with  the  presence  of  moisture, 
gives  a  peculiar  depth  and •  vividness  of  green  to  the  foliage;  and  the 
stream,  as  smooth  as  a  polished  mirror,  reflects  the  variegated  beauties 
which  clothe  its  banks.  Occasionally  a  light  native  canoe  shoots  down 
with  the  current,  or  paddles  up  stream,  close  along  the  shore ;  while 
amon*  the  trees,  a  short  distance  back,  monkeys  are  seen  springing 
from  limb  to  limb,  in  pursuance  of  their  gambols.  As  on  the  St.  Paul's 
and  the  Mesurado,  the  stranger  is  little  annoyed  by  mosquitoes  and 
flies,  and  is  struck  with  the  scarcity  of  birds  and  flowers. 

In  the  rainy  season  the  first  deficiency  may  be  more  than  satisfacto- 
rily supplied,  and  the  moist,  gloomy  shades  of  the  forest  are  unfit  nur- 
series for  flowers,  which  thrive  best  in  a  light  soil  and  where  they  can 
expand  their  petals  to  the  sun. 

Of  the  birds  to  be  seen  in  the  recesses  of  the  wood,  very  few  are 
gifted  with  melodious  notes;  but  by  the  compensatory  law  of  nature, 
some  of  them  are  magnificent  in  their  plumage.     Of  these,  the  sun- 


30  H.  Doc.    1. 

bird,  scarce  larger  than  our  smallest  humming-bird,  with  its  scarlet 
breast,  tinged  straw-color  at  the  edges,  its  emerald  throat  and  back, 
and  dove-colored  wings,  and  a  tail  longer  than  its  body,  is  the  most 
beautifully  conspicuous.  Others  I  saw  wholly  of  one  color — some  of 
the  deepest  indigo-blue,  and  others  a  rich  tinted  orange.  But  they  par- 
took of  the  spirit  of  the  solitude  in  which  they  dwelt,  and  flitted  silently 
from  tree  to  tree  before  the  footsteps  of  the  intruder. 

Like  the  Red  Junk,  the  Junk  proper  has  low  banks,  bordered  with 
mangrpves  for  about  three  miles  from  the  junction,  where  the  shore 
rises  on  each  side  and  the  soil  becomes  fertile,  occasionally  presenting 
a  slight  elevation,  on  each  of  which  is  a  settlement  comprising  three 
farms  of  colonists  and  two  native  villages. 

The  river  averages  about  300  yards  in  width  to  King  Kymocree's 
village — a  collection  of  twelve  or  fourteen  low-pitched,  mud-plastered 
huts,  with  projecting  thatched  roofs  and  uneven  clay  floors.  In  the 
centre  of  the  floor  is  the  fireplace — the  only  outlet  for  the  smoke  being 
the  low  and  narrow  door-way,  near  which  the  inmates  are  always,  by 

E reference,  seated.  The  principal  building,  in  front  of  which  the  king 
eld  his  audience,  was  built  of  wattled  cane  ;  but  not  plastered,  being 
open  all  round.  About  six  feet  from  the  floor  were  cross-pieces  ;  on 
which,  up  to  the  roof,  was  piled  rice  in  the  sheaf,  to  be  dried  by  the 
smoke  of  the  council-fire.  The  king  is  short  of  stature,  but  with  a 
muscular  frame  ;  and  his  features  altogether  are  more  of  the  true  negro 
type  than  I  have  thus  far  seen  in  Africa.  He  was  cordial  and  commu- 
nicative ;  and  the  colonists  represented  him  as  a  staunch  friend  and 
ally,  having  in  the  late  war  borne  arms  gallantly  in  their  behalf.  He 
possesses  a  number  of  villages — their  male  inhabitants,  like  those  of 
the  one  we  were  in,  being  nearly  all  absent  some  distance  inland,  clear- 
ing land  preparatory  to  sowing  rice.  He  presented  us  to  three  of  his 
wives  and  six  or  eight  children;  declaring  that  the  latter  were  so 
numerous,  that  he  did  not  know  them  all  by  sight.  His  tribe  is  one  of 
the  many  ramifications  of  the  Bassas,  of  whom  I  will  speak  further  on. 

Although  scarce  beyond  middle  age,  this  chief  was  quite  gray;  and, 
in  this  respect,  I  have  repeatedly  noticed  the  difference  between  the 
African  and  Mexican  Indian,  whose  hair  never  changes  its  color. 
There  is  also  a  perceptible  difference  in  the  texture  of  the  hair 
of  natives  along  the  coast;  for,  as  I  have  proceeded  south,  it  has  ap- 
peared to  me  to  be  finer,  more  elastic,  blacker,  more  shining  and  crisp, 
than  in  Goree  and  about  the  Gambia. 

Thus  far  1  have  not  seen  an  instance  of  baldness  among  the  natives ; 
but  their  lips  are,  in  general,  as  dark  as  their  faces :  therein  differing 
from  most  of  their  descendants  with  us ;  and  the  whites  of  their  eyes 
are  tinged  with  a  yellow  suffusion,  which  I  know  not  whether  to  ascribe 
to  the  constant  smoke  in  which  they  are  enveloped  in  their  huts,  or  to 
some  organic  cause.  I  incline  to  the  latter  opinion ;  for  the  eyes  of  the 
Kroomen,  who  had  been  serving  two  years  on  board  of  the  John 
Adams,  were  as  much  discolored  as  those  of  the  natives  I  saw  on 
shore. 

Above  the  mangroves  the  land  has  the  appearance  of  great  fertility, 
and  teems  with  every  production  of  an  intertropical  forest.  This  stream 
is  broad  er  and  bolder  than  the  Red  Junk,  but  the  features  of  its  shores 


H.    Doc.    1  31 

are  exactly  the  same.  It  is  navigable  by  boats  for  thirteen  miles  ;  and 
twelve  miles  further  there  is  a  ridge  of  high  land,  east  of  which  is  an 
extensive  lake,  from  whence  the  river  issues.  Twenty  miles  beyond 
the  first  ridge  is  a  second  and  loftier  one,  from  which  the  blue  crest  of 
a  mountain  is  visible  to  the  southward  and  eastward. 

The  level  land  west  of  the  ridges,  and  the  valleys  between  them,  is 
one  dense,  wide-spreading  forest.  These  ridges  are  evidently  the  out- 
lying shoots  of  an  interior  mountain  range.  From  all  I  could  learn 
there  is  much  camwood  in  the  interior  ;  and  the  forest  beyond  the  first 
ridge  of  highlands  abounds  in  elephants.  The  exports  of  camwood 
and  ivory  could  therefore  be  very  much  increased ;  while  it  needs  only 
a  glance  in  any  direction  to  see  the  numerous  palm-trees,  bearing  aloft 
thick  clusters  of  fruit,  which  only  require  the  hand  of  industry  to  gather 
and  express  from  them  the  valuable  oil ;  the  demand  for  which,  now 
that  it  can  be  deprived  of  its  stearine,  increases  with  every  successive 
year. 

Marshall  is  injudiciously  situated  on  a  sandy  soil,  which  is  parched 
up  during  the  dry  season,  and  is  therefore  unfit  for  cultivation.  Could 
the  settlement  be  removed  to  a  convenient  point  on  the  main  stream,  near 
the  confluence,  the  colonists  disposed  to  agriculture  would  find  more 
fertile  land,  while  those  embarked  in  commerce  could  engross  the 
river  trade,  which,  as  I  have  said,  is  so  much  interfered  with  by  mer- 
cantile agents  from  Monrovia.  Several  of  the  colonists  are  making  set- 
tlements a  short  distance  up  the  river ;  and  I  believe  there  would  be  a 
general  movement  if  the  few  enterprising  men  now  in  the  place  were 
not  so  hampered  by  a  disproportionate  number  of  helpless  women.  A 
settlement  at  or  near  the  point  of  junction  could  raise  enough  for  its 
subsistence  ;  and,  by  means  of  a  direct  intercourse  with  the  interior 
up  one  stream,  and  with  Monrovia  by  another,  unaffected  by  the 
weather  on  the  coast,  would,  doubtless,  carry  on  a  thriving  business. 

From  the  Junk  to  the  St.  John's  river  the  coast  preserves  its  south- 
east direction,  with  the  same  monotonous  features,  except  some  red 
and  white  cliffs  which  abut  upon  the  shore  below  the  former ;  and 
inland,  the  range  of  Bassa  hills  and  the  isolated  Mount  St.  John,  which 
become  visible  on  approaching  the  latter  river. 

We  anchored  off  the  mouth  of  the  St.  John's  too  late  to  enter  it  by 
daylight.  On  the  following  morning  we  started  for  the  shore,  and, 
passing  a  Liberian  schooner,  bound  to  Monrovia  with  a  cargo  of  palm- 
oil,  and  an  English  cutter  coming  up  from  the  southward,  we  steered 
for  the  opening  in  the  line  of  beach,  where,  with  a  graceful  curve  and 
a  rapid  sweep,  the  river  finds  an  outlet ;  and,  ( rossing  the  bar  on  a 
heavy  roller,  we  landed  at  Buchanan. 

Within  the  bar  are  concentrated  the  waters  of  three  rivers  :  the 
Mechlin,  flowing  from  the  north ;  the  St.  Johns,  from  the  northeast ;  and 
the  Benson  river,  from  the  east.  This  great  body  of  accumulated 
water  is  forced  through  a  passage  narrower  than  the  principal  stream  ; 
and  when  the  tide  is  ebb  and  the  wind  blows  fresh  upon  the  shore, 
there  is  drawn  across  it  a  line  of  terrific  breakers.  At  this  season, 
however,  the  winds  are  ordinarily  light,  and  with  a  skilful  pilot  the 
bar  can  be  passed  in  safety. 

On  the  sandy  peninsula  between  the  Mechlin  and  the  sea,  just  within 


32  H.  Doc.   1. 

the  confluence,  some  thirty  feet  above  the  water,  is  the  village  of  Edi- 
na;  the  streets  contiguous  to  and  running  parallel  with  the  river.  This 
settlement  consists  of  a  church  and  some  twenty  or  thirty  dwellings,  of 
which  the  former  and  three-fourths  of  the  latter  are  frame  buildings ; 
the  rest  are  thatched  huts. 

This  settlement  presents  an  unthrifty  appearance.  The  wide  rec- 
tangular streets  are  overgrown  with  weeds;  and  although  there  are 
several  coffee  groves,  the  trees  are  too  thickly  planted,  and  the  ground 
between  them  is  covered  with  rank  grass  and  shrubbery.  In  the  rainy 
season  the  path  which  winds  through  each  street,  like  a  trail  through  a 
prairie,  must  effectually  conceal  those  who  pass  to  and  fro,  from  those 
who  remain  stationary  in  their  houses.  If  I  had  not  known  it  before, 
the  lean  condition  of  some  vagabond  pigs  I  saw  would  have  satisfied 
me  that  there  is  nothing  nutritious  in  senna  and  wild  indigo.  And  yet 
there  was  nothing  gaunt  or  slovenly  in  the  appearance  of  the  inhabit- 
ants ;  and  at  the  first  threshold  I  approached  I  was  greeted  by  an  old 
colored  lady,  attired  in  a  silk  dress,  with  corresponding  trimmings. 

The  Benson  river  pours  in  its  tribute  opposite  to  Edina  ;  and  on  the 
west  side  of  the  junction  is  the  flourishing  town  of  Buchanan.  This  set- 
tlement was  founded  by  the  New  York  and  Pennsylvania  Colonization 
Societies,  in  1835,  and  consists  of  the  emigrants  who  escaped  from  the 
massacre  at  Fort  Cresson,  two  miles  further  down  the  coast.  In  1838 
the  population  of  Buchanan  was  200  :  it  now  contains  600  inhabitants, 
and  musters  100  fighting  men.  The  last  has  become  an  essential  item 
in  the  statistics  of  the  place. 

This  colony  was  first  founded  on  the  peace  principle,  but  the  massacre 
of  its  unarmed  inhabitants  conclusively  proved  the  folly  of  such  an 
experiment,  on  such  a  field  ;  for,  in  the  space  of  one  month,  in  the  very 
year  of  its  selection,  500  slaves  had  been  embarked  from  the  cove  ; 
and  it  was  known  that  the  native  chiefs  regarded  the  settlement  of  col- 
onists in  their  vicinity  as  destructive  of  their  traffic  with  the  slave  ships. 

On  Benson  river,  adjoining  the  town,  there  was  a  steam  saw-mill  in 
operation  ;  and  in  the  cove  beyond  it,  one  small  vessel  was  hauled  up 
for  repairs,  and  two  others  were  anchored  in  the  stream. 

Between  the  Benson  river  and  the  confluent  streams,  before  they 
mingle  with  the  sea,  Buchanan  is  built,  on  wide  streets  running  parallel 
with  the  beach,  and  they  are  less  encumbered  with  weeds  than  those 
of  Edina.  Unprotected  by  whitewash  or  paint,  the  houses  all  present 
a  dingy,  semi-dilapidated  appearance,  except  the  residence  of  Judge 
Benson,  on  the  south  side  of  the  cove ;  which  looks  fresh  and  beautiful, 
embowered,  as  it  is,  in  an  extensive  grove  of  coffee-trees. 

The  St.  John's  river  is  as  wide  as  would  be  the  united  streams  of 
the  Mechlin  and  the  Benson.  It  is  half  a  mile  wide  at  the  estuary; 
and  for  a  mile  further  up,  is  fringed  with  the  mangrove.  Thence  it 
gradually  lessens  in  width,  and  at  the  distance  of  three  miles  is  di- 
vided into  two  channels  by  Factory  island,  on  which  Mr.  Ashmun  con- 
templated forming  a  settlement.  Above  the  island  the  river  narrows 
more  rapidly,  and  does  not  exceed  200  yards  in  width  at  Bexley,  a 
missionary  school  station,  and  rather  a  farming  settlement  than  a  vil- 
lage, seven  miles  from  the  river's  mouth. 

Opposite  to  the  mission  is  the  town  of  "King  Soldier" — a  venerable 


H.  Doc.   1.      .  33 

and  friendly  old  man,  upwards  of  one  hundred  years  old.  A  little  above 
is  another  island,  half  a  mile  beyond  which  is  the  head  of  navigation, 
where  the  immediate  banks  are  about  twelve  feet  high. 

The  scenery  is  the  same  as  that  on  the  Junks,  except  that  there  are 
more  frequent  indications  of  agricultural  improvement.  After  the  man- 
grove ceases,  the  soil  is  a  yellow  clay  ;  and  the  principal  growth  on 
and  near  the  water's  edge  is  a  medium-sized  tree,  from  its  peculiar 
properties  called  the  soap-tree  ;  and  the  more  lofty  pullam  or  wild  cot- 
ton tree,  the  sassy- wood  tree,  and  the  palm-tree.  The  qualities  of  the 
soap-tree  are  the  same  as  those  Herodotus  mentions,  of  the  shavings 
of  which  the  Scythian  women  made  a  soft  paste,  wherewith  they 
plastered  their  bodies,  and  stripped  it  off  again  when  quite  dry ;  by 
which  means  the  skin  was  thoroughly  cleansed. 

One  of  the  farm-houses  at  which  I  stopped  was  finely  situated  on  a 
rolling  piece  of  ground,  some  eighty  feet  above  and  one  hundred  and 
fifty  yards  distant  from  the  river.  It  was  well  furnished  and  contained 
two  rooms  and  a  kitchen  below  stairs,  and  an  attic  sleeping-room  above. 
It  was  the  workmanship  of  the  owner — an  emigrant  from  Staunton,  in 
Virginia ;  and  the  neat,  yet  strong  stairway  of  wattled  cane,  and  the 
partitions  made  of  rushes,  attested  his  industry  and  skill;  while  a  small, 
but  good  library,  proved  that  he  possessed  yet  other  resources.  Him- 
self, his  wife  and  daughter,  made  the  same  declaration,  which,  with 
two  exceptions  (and  those  unprotected  females,)  I  have  heard  from  many 
others — that  nothing  could  induce  them  again  to  take  up  their  residence 
in  the  United  States. 

*  On  the  banks  of  the  river,  between  Buchanan  and  Bexley,  are  the 
farms  of  eight  or  ten  colonists,  with  as  many  native  settlements ;  and  I 
think  that  I  counted  two  brick-kilns ;  but,  as  on  the  branches  of  the 
Junk  and  the  St.  Paul's,  the  settlements  extend  only  a  short  distance- 
back  from  the  river.  Including  Bexley,  there  are  250  colonists  on  the 
St.  John's  above  Buchanan. 

The  mission-house,  just  below  the  settlement  of  Bexley,  is  a  fine  two- 
story  frame  building,  occupied  at  the  time  of  my  visit  by  two  male 
and  three  female  missionaries.  They  had  arrived  a  month  previous, 
and  were  still  in  the  enjoyment  of  excellent  health.  Although  unprovi- 
ded with  a  physician,  they  spoke  cheerfully  of  their  prospects,,  and  ex- 
pressed gratification  at  finding  things  so  much  be.ter  than  they  had  an- 
ticipated. 

1  felt  a  glow  of  pride,  tempered  with  sympathy,  as  I  looked  upon  my 
countrymen  and  countrywomen  periling  all  earthly  hopes  in  such  a 
noble  cause.  This  is  true  heroism — the  chivalry  of  the  gospel!  For 
warlike  achievements,  men  are  alriiost  deified;  while  the  self-sacrificing 
missionary,  who  foregoes  all  the  comforts  of  life,  and,  with  the  cross  for 
his  banner,  boldly  penetrates  the  cloud  which  overshadows  this  conti- 
nent, and  encounters  certain  sickness  and  death,  more  or  less  premature, 
for  the  benefit  of  a  benighted  race, — the  missionary  is  rarely  named, 
except  with  the  final  enunciation,  "  Mortuus  est." 

There  is  a  considerable  tract  of  land  under  cultivation  at  Bexley. 
I  could  not  ascertain  how  much  its  produce  has  increased ;  but  some 
years  ago  it  yielded  600  lbs.  of  coffee;  nearly  3,000  lbs.  of  ginger;  1,100 
baskets*  of  sweet  potatoes;  1,200  lbs.  of  arrow-root ;  and  300  bushels 


34  H.    Doc.   1. 

of  cassada.  There  were  raised,  besides,  a  great  many  fowls,  and  some 
sheep,  goats,  and  cattle. 

Beyond  the  rapids,  the  St.  John's  is  navigable  by  canoes  six  miles 
further;  from  whence  it  is  about  ten  miles  to  the  base  of  Mount  St. 
John ;  beyond  which  is  a  broad  valley,  bounded  on  the  east  by  ele- 
vated ridges. 

The  principal  forest  growth  beyond  the  head  of  navigation  is  cam- 
wood, bastard  mahogany,  African  hickory,  two  kinds  of  wisniore — both 
admirably  adapted  lor  articles  of  furniture — and  the  oak,  differing  essen- 
tially from  the  species  found  from  the  tropics  nearly  to  the  polar  circles, 
which  is,  throughout  those  regions,  a  cosmopolite  of  vegetation,  being 
alike  in  its  fruit,  although  much  diversified  in  growth  and  the  form  of 
its  leaves. 

From  thirty  to  fifty  miles  from  the  sea  is  one  uninterrupted  camwood 
forest;  and  the  wood  is  used  by  the  natives  as  fuel,  and  for  building  pur- 
poses. They  fell  the  trees,  and  split  them  up  into  billets  fifteen  or  six- 
teen inches  long,  which  they  carry  in  bundles  on  their  heads  to  the  near- 
est point  of  canoe  navigation.  Instead  of  this  slow  and  laborious  pro- 
cess, it  is  strange  that  it  has  never  occurred  to  them  to  launch  the  trees, 
denuded  of  their  branches,  and  raft  them  down  the  river.  The  whole 
world  might  be  supplied  with  camwood  rafted  down  the  St.  John's. 

Most  of  the  land  bordering  upon  the  sea  has  been,  at  different  times, 
under  cultivation ;  but  after  yielding  the  first  crop,  a  piece  of  land  is 
abandoned,  and  a  new  clearing  made  fir  the  succeeding  one.  As  a 
natural  consequence,  a  rapid  growth  of  vegetation  supervenes  in  the  de- 
serted field,  and  it  becomes,  in  a  few  years,  a  tangled  thicket  of  trees 
and  shrubs,  bound  together  with  the  lacings  of  interminable  vines  and 
creepers.  Added  to  which,  from  the  incessant  wars  heretofore  for  the 
purpose  of  supplying  the  slave  trade,  the  country  along  the  coast  has 
been  half  depopulated.  Thus  stripped  of  a  great  part  of  its  primitive 
growth,  and  cultivated  only  in  spots  detached  and  distant  from  each 
other,  the  general  aspect  of  the  coast  is  that  of  a  forest  of  dense  and 
matted  trees  and  shrubbery,  almost  destitute  of  its  original  character- 
istics. 

In  ascending  the  rivers,  however,  a  wholly  different  scene  presents 
itself.  The  primitive  forest,  in  all  its  native  grandeur,  covers  the 
earth ;  the  graceful  palm-tree  waves  its  feathery  branches  in  the  breeze, 
and  the  lofty  wisniore  and  huge  bastard  mahogany  rear  high  their  tow- 
ering heads,  while  among  the  green  foliage  is  seen  the  gay  coloring  of 
blossoms  on  many  a  stately  tree,  which  give  a  kaleidoscopic  variety  to 
the  deep  embowering  wood.  Far  up  the  streams,  the  eye  is  charmed 
with  the  ever-varied  landscape :  the  dense  trees  which  overhang  the 
banks,  their  towering  height  and  majestic  size,  the  vivid  hues  of  their 
foliage,  and  the  sombre  shade,  despite  the  rays  of  an  unclpuded  sun. 

The  profound  stillness  which  prevails  in  these  solitudes  was  dis- 
turbed at  our  approach,  not  only  by  the  harsh  grating  of  the  oars  in  the 
rowlocks,  but  also  by  the  wild  and  not  unmelodious  songs  of  the  boat- 
men, which  caused  the  basking  crocodile  to  plunge  into  the  stream,  the 
monkey  to  retire  into  the  recesses  of  the  wood,  and  the  fish-hawk  to  seek 
another  position  from  whence  to  pounce  upon  his  prey. 

The  territory  of  Little  Bassa  has  many  subdivisions,  under  as*  many 


H.  Doc.    1.  35 

names.  It  is  compressed  nearly  into  the  form  of  a  triangle  by  the  At- 
lantic and  the  branches  of  the  Junk  and  the  St.  John's  rivers ;  and  is  also 
a  peninsula,  as  these  streams  approach  each  other  very  nearly  in  the 
interior.  The  country  abounds  in  camwood  and  palm-oil,  and  the  de- 
mand for  the  last  is  rapidly  increasing,  as  it  is  now  used  instead  of  Rus- 
sian tallow  in  the  manufacture  of  soap.  Hundreds  of  tons  of  camwood, 
and  many  thousand  gallons  of  oil,  are  annually  shipped  from  these  rivers. 

The  new  clearings  on  the  river-banks,  the  steam  saw-mill  at  Bu- 
chanan, the  vessels  in  the  cove,  and  the  buildings  under  construction, 
all  attest,  with  the  exception  of  Edina,  that  the  settlements  on  the  St. 
John's  are  flourishing. 

About  three  miles  further  down  the  beach  from  Buchanan  is  Fish- 
town,  now  being  resettled,  where  there  are  twenty  houses  under  con- 
struction, and  a  considerable  tract  of  land  cleared  for  cultivation.  In 
the  environs  of  the  former,  and  on  the  road  to  the  latter,  I  saw  a  num- 
ber of  cattle,  larger  in  size  than  those  of  Monrovia.  Their  excellent 
condition- verified  the  statement  of  respectable  settlers  that  the  neigh- 
borhood is  a  fine  grass  country. 

The  landing-place  at  Bassa  Cove  is  protected  from  the  sweep  of  the 
southwest  wind,  the  prevalent  one  during  the  rainy  season,  by  Grand 
Bassa  Point,  which  bends  to  the  north  and  renders  the  landing  safe, 
except  during  a  northerly  wind.  Unfortunately,  when  I  left,  the  wind 
blew  from  that  quarter,  driving  a  heavy  sea  before  it.  It  was  near 
night-fall  when  I  embarked  in  a  canoe,  to  be  conveyed  through  the 
surf  to  the  boat,  which  lay  beyond  the  outer  breakers.  I  took  my  seat 
in  the  little  dug-out,  which  was  so  light  that  I  could  have  carried  it 
upon  my  shoulders,  while  two  natives,  one  standing  at  each  end,  kept 
it  from  being  swerved  entirely  round  and  filled  with  water,  as  the 
waves  broke  upon  the  shore  and  washed  knee-deep  beyond  them.  As 
each  wave  receded,  the  two  men  pointed  the  bow  anew  in  the  right 
direction,  and  then  stretching  themselves  up  to  the  greatest  height, 
watched  the  foaming  crest  of  the  succeeding  roller,  for  an  opportunity 
to  launch  forth  and  attempt  a  passage.  It  was  necessary  that  those 
who  had  me  in  charge  should  not  for  one  moment  be  distracted ;  a 
few  friendly  colonists,  therefore,  unable  to  assist,  stood  a  short  distance 
back,  and  watched  our  proceedings  in  silence.  The  scene  to  them 
must  have  been  a  wild  and  impressive  one  :  the  tiny  canoe,  the  dusky 
forms  of  the  natives,  now  and  then  shown  in  striking  contrast  as  an 
angry  breaker  broke  upon  the  shore,  and  sent  its  seething  foam  far  up 
the  beach,  and  the  troubled  sea  be}^ond,  with  the  boat  in  the  foreground, 
tossing  confusedly  upon  it. 

We  waited  so  long  for  an  opportunity^  that  the  ship,  at  first  dimly 
visible  in  the  distance,  became  lost  in  the  fast  increasing  obscurity ; 
and  the  boat  beyond  the  line  of  surf  could  only  be  distinguished  as  a 
dark  speck  upon  the  surface. 

At  last  there  was  a  sudden  shout,  a  push,  a  plunge,  a  rocking  vio- 
lently from  side  to  side,  a  rapid  play  of  the  paddles  which  seemed 
more  like  wild  gesticulations  than  a  concerted  movement;  and,  after  a 
few  moments'  pitching  and  tossing,  more  than  I  ever  pitched  and  tossed 
before,  I  found  myself  alongside  the  boat,  and  the  canoe  half  filled 
with  water. 


36  H.  Doc.   1. 

It  was  a  long,  cold,  uncertain  pull  afterwards  to  the  ship,  four  miles 
distant,  against  a  high  wind  and  heavy  sea,  and  without  a  compass, 
which,  from  fear  of  losing  it  by  the  upsetting  of  the  canoe,  had  been 
left  upon  the  shore.  We  were  soon,  however,  favored  with  a  beacon ; 
for  a  lantern  was  hoisted  on  board  the  ship.  About  an  hour  afterwards 
a  blue  light  was  burned  ;  and  in  an  hour  more  we  pulled  alongside,  the 
Kroomen  too  weary  to  keep  up  their  customary  song. 

The  next  morning  we  sailed  for  Sinou,  eighty  miles  further  down 
the  coast,  a  Liberian  schooner  taking  her  departure  also  for  the  south 
a  few  hours  before  us.  The  two  canoemen,  my  companions  of  the 
night  before,  came  off  to  bring  the  compass,  and  receive  a  compensa- 
tion for  their  services.  They  also  brought  a  specimen  of  coffee  from 
Judge  Benson's  plantation,  for  exhibition  at  the  New  York  Crystal 
Palace. 

The  Bassa  tribe  occupies  the  coast  and  an  indefinite  distance  inland, 
from  the  Mesurado  to  Settra  Kroo,  below  Sinou.  All  the  colonial  set- 
tlements of  Liberia  are  within  the  territory  of  this  tribe.  With  this 
tribe,  therefore,  they  are  better  acquainted,  having  daily  and  hourly 
intercourse  with  them ;  nearly  all  the  residents,  natives  of  the  settle- 
ment, being  members  of  this  large  tribe,  estimated  to  number  100,000  ! 
all  speaking,  with  little  variation,  the  same  language ;  their  physical 
conformation,  pursuits,  manners,  architecture,  superstitions,  and  pro- 
ductions of  the  country,  presenting  a  striking  uniformity.  This  tribe, 
like  others  on  the  coast,  embraces  a  great  many  subdivisions,  under 
petty  chiefs,  of  from  15  to  20  miles  square,  but  forming  combinations, 
to  more  or  less  extent,  by  general  custom  and  superstitious  laws,  con- 
tinually harassing  each  other  by  family  quarrels  and  petty  jealousies. 
They  are,  nevertheless,  industrious  in  their  habits,  not  fond  of  wander- 
ing far  from  their  homes,  and  are  imitative  and  desirous  of  improve- 
ment. 

Wars  occasionally  take  place  between  two  or  more  of  the  subdivi- 
sions ;  but,  when  they  have  occurred  heretofore,  the  si  ave  trade  was 
generally  the  exciting  cause.  With  the  extinction  of  that  direful  cause, 
its  lamentable  consequences  it  is  hoped  may  be  hereafter  averted. 

Every  town  and  village  has  its  headman,  who  is  subject  to  a  king — 
generally  an  old  man,  to  whom,  as  well  as  to  the  aged  in  general, 
great  respect  is  paid.  These  kings  and  headmen  do  not  appear  to 
exercise  despotic  authority.  An  accused  person  is  tried  by  the  ordeal 
of  drinking  red  water,  a  decoction  of  sassywood,  or  by  a  general 
palaver,  which  decides  the  innocence  or  guilt,  and  determines  the 
punishment. 

Their  towns  are  assemblages  of  small  conical  huts,  placed  without 
order,  sometimes  on  the  banks  of  rivers,  but  are  most  frequently  hidden 
by  the  surrounding  woods,  to  which  they  retreat  when  attacked  by  an 
enemy.  These  towns  exhibit  much  pleasing  harmony  and  good  nature, 
having  altogether  the  order  and  features  of  one  great  family.  Poly- 
gamy is  universal,  the  number  of  wives  being  the  measure  of  a  man's 
wealth ;  yet,  nothing  like  indiscriminate  licentiousness  is  to  be  seen. 
The  men  perform  no  servile  labor,  but  pass  most  of  the  year  in  care- 
less indolence,  except  the  months  of  February,  March,  and  April,  when 
the  towns  appear  to  be  deserted  by  them,  excepting  one  or  two  hoary- 


& 


H.    Doc.  1.  37 

headed  patriarchs;  all  others  being  busied  in  cleaning  and  burning  off 
their  farms. 

At  this  time  the  whole  line  of  coast  presents  an  interesting  spectacle 
from  the  sea — volumes  of  smoke  by  day,  and  numerous  blazing  fires  at 
night.  The  planting  of  rice  and  cassada  is  then  left  to  the  women,  to 
whom  all  further  labor  is  resigned  until  the  crops  are  safely  stored  in 
their  houses.  The  men  then  betake  themselves  to  their  usual  pursuits 
and  amusements.  They  often  seek  employment  among  the  colonists, 
in  order  to  get  a  supply  of  tobacco  and  cloth  for  themselves,  and  beads 
for  the  women.  When  they  have  anything  to  sell  in  the  colony,  the 
women,  with  their  children  strapped  to  their  backs,  carry  the  articles 
on  their  heads,  while  their  lordly  husbands  walk  on  before,  each  bear- 
ing a  knife  or  a  gun. 

The  children,  soon  after  their  birth,  are  exposed  naked  to  the  rays 
of  the  sun,  and  the  manner  in  which  they  are  nursed  is  anything  but 
gentle;  but  they  are  very  healthy,  and  few  die  in  infancy.  The  boys, 
eleven  or  twelve  years  old,  completely  throw  off  all  maternal  restraint, 
deeming  it  unmanly  to  be  longer  controlled  by  a  woman.  Nothing 
will  make  a  native  boy  in  the  service  of  the  colonists  run  away  sooner 
than  being  struck  by  a  female. 

Their  mechanical  and  agricultural  implements  are  exceedingly  sim- 
le — the  latter  being  merely  a  hatchet  for  the  men  to  cut  down  the 

shes  and  trees;  and  a  small  hoe,  three  inches  broad,  for  the  woman 
to  plant  the  rice  with,  which,  when  ripe,  is  cut  down  with  a  common 
knife.  They  cook  rice  admirably,  and  all  their  peculiar  dishes  are 
highly  seasoned  with  pepper.  They  live  principally  on  vegetables, 
but  are  fond  of  animal  food — snakes,  guanas,  and  monk<5ys  being  among 
their  highest  luxuries;  and  they  are  accused  of  not  being  averse  to  cats 
and  dogs.  Smoking  and  drinking  palm  wine  (and  rum,  when  it  can  be 
had)  is  the  summum  bonum  of  their  existence.  They  rarely,  however, 
drink  to  excess;  but  are  fond  of  games  of  hazard,  which  they  play  with 
large  beans.  They  do  not  gamble,  however,  to  the  extent  cf  some 
tribes  in  the  interior,  who  first  stake  one  limb,  and  then  another,  until 
the  whole  body  is  forfeit,  and  the  unsuccessful  player  becomes  the 
slave  of  his  antagonist. 

By  the  labor  of  the  missionaries  a  syllabic  alphabet  has  been  con- 
structed for  the  Bassa  language,  which,  although  harsh,  is  metaphorical; 
the  figures  being  drawn  from  natural  objects.  It  is  believed  that  there 
exists  a  similarity  of  construction,  and  no  great  disparity  in  the  ele- 
mentary sounds  of  the  languages  of  the  tribes  extending  from  the  Gal- 
linas  to  Cape  Palmas.  Such  alphabets,  therefore,  may  prove  exten- 
sively and  eminently  useful. 

The  coast  from  Bassa  Cove  to  Sinou  presents  the  same  monotonous 
features  as  that  to  windward,  only  interrupted  at  New  Cess  river,  and 
between  Trade  Town  and  Little  Culloh  river,  where  there  are  two 
elevations  ne^ir  the  coast,  of  which  "Highland  Peak,"  the  southern- 
most, is  240  feet  high;  directly  back  of  it  is  the  "Tobacco"  mountain, 
880  feet;  the  "Nipple,"  218  feet  high;  and  abreast  of  it,  the  "Pobamo 
rock,"  directly  upon  the  coast. 

The  light  winds  and  smooth  sea  which  prevail,  with  the  smoke  on 
shore  and  the  mist  to  seaward,  would  render  sailing  along  the  coast 


38  H.    Doc.  1. 

exceedingly  tedious,  if  the  scene  were  not  enlivened  by  numerous 
canoes  which  put  off.  from  the  shore,  six  to  eight  miles  distant,  and, 
paddling  alongside,  in  noisy  competition  seek  to  gratify  curiosity,  or 
dispose  offish,  fruit,  and  fowls,  for  bread,  pork,  tobacco,  and  any  kind 
of  clothing.  These  canoes  usually  contain  from  two  to  four  men  each, 
squatted  upon  their  hams,  with  their  feet  behind  them,  and  nearly  every 
one  naked;  the  best  attired  having  only  a  kerchief  about  the  loins,  and 
an  old  straw  hat  upon  the  head.        • 

So  much  are  these  people  at  home  in  the  water,  that  when  a  canoe 
upsets,  the  crew,  with  as  much  nonchalance  as  if  it  were  in  a  shallow 
stream,  right  it,  and  taking  hold  of  each  end,  sway  it  to  and  fro  length- 
wise, until  the  water  is  nearly  all  swashed  out;  two  of  them,  alternately, 
rather  roll  than  clamber  in,  and,  seated  at  each  end,  jerk  their  legs  to 
and  fro  rapidly  along  the  bottom;  and  thus,  with  the  flat  of  their  feet, 
bail  it  perfectly  dry. 

One  of  this  amphibious  race  came  on  board  while  we  were  sailing 
down  the  coast,  and  left  his  companion,  a  mere  lad,  in  the  canoe, 
which  was  made  fast  to  the  ship.  We  were  moving  so  rapidly  through 
the  water  that  the  tow-line  parted  with  the  strain,  and  the  canoe,  pro- 
pelled only  by  one  paddle,  could  not  keep  up  with  us.  The  man  who 
had  left  her  was  on  the  poop,  and,  after  regarding  for  a  few  moments 
the  ineffectual  efforts  of  his  companion,  he  made  a  single  ejaculation, 
walked  to  the  gangway,  descended  the  side,  and  letting  himself  into 
the  water,  swam  to  his  canoe. 

The  people  along  the  coast,  protected,  as  they  imagine,  by  their 
gree-grees,  which  they  purchase  from  their  priests,  have  no  fear  of 
sharks ;  and  it»is  certain  that  this  voracious  fish  gives  preference  to  the 
flesh  of  a  white  man.  Repeatedly  a  boat  has  been  capsized  con- 
taining but  one  white  man  among  its  crew  ;  and  yet  that  man  has  been 
singled  out  and  destroyed,  while  the  rest  were  not  even  molested. 
The  escape  of  the  native  may  be  owing  to  the  peculiar  mode  in  wrhich 
he  swims — a  mode  which- appears  ungraceful  to  the  beholder,  but  may 
prove  the  safeguard  of  the  swimmer.  I  have  noticed  that  this  people 
swim  overhanded,  with  their  bodies  parallel  to  the  surface  of  the 
water,  which  they  splash  by  the  movement  of  their  hands  and  feet ; 
but  my  observation  has  been  limited  both  as  to  time  and  space,  and  it 
may  be  that  it  is  to  the  odor  of  the  skin,  or  a  difference  in  the  taste  of 
the  blood,  that  the  preference  of  the  shark  is  to  be  attributed. 

Between  the  St.  John's  and  the  Sinon  river  there  are  several  streams 
coming  down  from  the  interior,  but  all  are  shallow  and  mostly  difficult 
of  access.  First,  the  "  New  Cess,"  where  was  the  last  slave  mart  be- 
tween Cape  Mount  and  Cape  Palmas.  There  are  here  masses  of 
sienite  upon  the  beach  and  a  range  of  hills  stretching  inland.  Next, 
the  "Little  Culloh,"  south  of  the  highland  peak,  and  accessible  to 
boats  in  fair  weather,  and  with  a  good  landing  just  below  it.  Then 
follows  the  "  Grand  Culloh"  river,  with  its  entrance  barred  up  at  this 
season;  and  the  "  Tembo,"  which  has  a  good  landing  on  its  southern 
beach  ;  "  Sestos"  river,  where  a  slave  factory  was  long  established  ; 
the  "  New"  river,  coming  in  by"  Diabolito  rock;"  the  "Broom"  river, 
at  the  mouth  of  which  is  Bahyah  rock,  sixty  feet  above  the  sea ;  and  the 


H.    Doc.   1.  39 

"  Sangwin"  and  the  "  Grand  Bouton"  rivers,  the  latter  having  a  bluff 
260  feet  on  its  southern  shore,  and  the  "  Yulee"  shoal  before  it. 

There  are  many  rivulets  besides  these  streams,  all  pouring  down, 
even  in  this  dry  season,  immense  volumes  of  water,  but  none  of  them 
admitting  vessels  drawing  more  than  six  feet  water,  except  the  "  San- 
gwin," which  at  the  flood  has  upwards  often  feet  water  upon  its  bar, 
within  which  it  is  spread  out  and  is  navigable  but  for  a  short  distance. 

From  the  Sangwin  to  Nifou  is  the  Kroo  country,  inhabited  by  an 
interesting  race.  The  extent  of  their  territory  inland  is  not  accurately 
known,  but  supposed  not  to  exceed  twenty  miles,  as  they  have  no 
towns,  except  upon  the  coast.  The  general  aspect  of  the  country  is 
champagne,  and  it  is  densely  wooded,  but  mostly  free  from  marshes. 
Its  chief  vegetable  productions  are  rice,  cassada,  yams,  and  plantains. 
The  rice  which  it  produces  is  valued  by  traders  along  the  coast  for  its 
superior  whiteness.  The  rivers  which  run  through  it  are  not  large, 
and  do  not  probably  rise  at  any  great  distance  from  the  coast,  although 
the  Krooman,  whose  ideas  of  distance  are  far  from  exact,  represent 
them  as  extending  a  great  way  inland.  They  are  full  of  banks  and 
shoals,  which  obstruct  navigation. 

In  the  Kroo  country  there  are  but  five  towns :  "  Little  Kroo,"  the 
northernmost ;  "  Settra  Kroo,"  the  chief  town;  "Kroo  Bah,"  "  Nana- 
kroo,"  and  "  Willstown."  A  few  small  villages,  inhabited  by  strangers 
or  slaves,  are  said  to  be  scattered  over  the  inlermediate  space,  and  at 
a  greater  distance  from  the  shore,  for  the  purpose  of  cultivating  the 
land.  This  small  district  is  considered  more  populous  than  any  along 
the  coast.  The  inhabitants  are  employed  by  all  the  vessels  trading 
between  Cape  Mesurado  and  Cape  Palmas  as  factors,  interpreters, 
and  as  auxiliaries  to  the  crews,  to  save  them  from  exposure  in  boats. 
The  Kroomen  who  thus  employ  themselves  are  seldom  less  than  fif- 
teen or  more  than  forty  years  of  age.  Those  who  remain  at  home  are 
chiefly  employed  in  agriculture  and  a  few  in  fishing.  They  rear  also  a 
few  cattle.  The  land  seems  to  form  a  common  stock,  and  not  to  de- 
scend by  inheritance.  Each  man  settles  where  he  pleases,  and  the 
labor  is  performed  chiefly  by  the  women,  assisted  by  domestic  slaves. 

The  commerce  of  the  Kroomen  is  carried  on  principally  by  barter, 
and  the  articles  in  greatest  demand  among  them  are  leaf-tobacco,  cot- 
ton cloth,  handkerchiefs,  fire-arms,  knives,  and  bar-iron.  The  last 
they  manufacture  into  implements  of  husbandry.  For  these  articles 
they  exchange  palm-oil,  a  little  ivory  and  rice,  and  occasionally  supply 
ships  with  fire-wood,  plantains,  cassada,  and  sometimes  with  bullocks. 
They  paddle  in  very  small  canoes  to  ships  eight  or  ten  miles  from  the 
shore,  with  not  more  of  these  articles  than  will  procure  for  them  a  few 
leaves  of  tobacco — counting  their  toil  and  hazard  as  nothing.  Their 
chief  article  of  barter,  however,  is  their  labor  to  captains  and  traders  on 
the  coast.  This  is  the  source  from  whence  they  derive  by  far  the 
greater  portion  of  their  imported  commodities.  They  have  long  been 
the  exclusive  intermediate  dealers  between  vessels  trading  on  this  part 
of  the  coast  and  the  people  of  the  interior ;  and  while  the  slave  trade 
flourished,  it  employed  a  great  many  hands.  Since  the  abolition  of 
that  trade,  they  have  sought  other  lines  of  service;  and  at  Sierra  Leone, 
350  miles  to  the  north,  there  were  800  of  them  employed  in  one  year/ 


40  H.  Doc.    1. 

The  form  of  their  government  is  monarchical ;  but  the  "  old  men'1 — the 
aristocracy  of  the  country — possess  considerable  influence,  and  the 
power  of  the  monarch  is  small,  except  when  supported  by  them.  Each 
town  has  a  chief,  who  is  designated  as  king  to  strangers ;  but  there  is 
one  chief  who  is  considered  superior,  and  rules  over  the  whole.  The 
power,  however,  of  the  superior  chief  is  very  great  in  his  own  district, 
and  the  office,  it  is  probable,  is  hereditary.  At  the  same  time  the 
children  of  the  greater  chiefs  work  as  laborers  in  clearing  the  ground, 
while  they  are  young  men,  in  exactly  the  same  manner  as  the  lowest 
of  the  people ;  nor  are  they  to  be  distinguished  on  ordinary  occasions 
by  their  attire,  or  by  superior  respect  being  paid  to  them. 

With  respect  to  the  principal  monarch,  his  power  is  seldom  exer- 
cised ;  and  instead  of  being  the  source  of  all  authority,  the  fountain  of 
justice,  the  original  proprietor  and  ultimate  heir  to  all  the  land,  he  is 
in  general  no  more  than  the  last  referee  in  important  disputes,  and  the 
person  in  whose  name  business  with  other  tribes  or  countries  is  trans- 
acted. A  general  war  must  be  carried  on  in  his  name,  but  independent 
of  the  concurring  voice  of  those  headmen  who  possess  the  greatest 
share  of  talent  and  activity.  His  power  is  probably  far  less  than  that 
of  some  of  his  subordinate  chiefs.  This  remark  applies  not  only  to  the 
Kroomen,  but  to  all  the  African  tribes  not  of  the  Mohammedan  faith. 

A  king  usually  names  a  vice- king,  who,  on  the  death  of  the  former, 
succeeds  him  in  sovereign  authority.  A  mourning  cry  of  several  days' 
continuance  takes  place  on  the  death  of  a  king,  during  which  time  the 
succession  is  arranged.  The  body  of  a  deceased  king  must  be  interred 
with  the  honors  due  to  his  rank  before  his  successor  can  be  recognised. 
The  possession  of  the  body  is  therefore  the  first  thing  aimed  at  by 
competitors  for  the  throne. 

Wars  are  not  frequent  among  them;  but  the  inhabitants  of  the  dif- 
ferent towns  sometimes  have  very  serious  quarrels.  When  at  war,  all 
Kroomen  who  are  made  prisoners  are  released  on  the  payment  of  a 
ransom.  They  neither  kill  nor  sell  them.  Prisoners  of  other  tribes 
are  enslaved  or  put  to  death.  The  submission  of  Kroomen  to  their 
superiors  is  carried  so  far,  that,  if  one  of  the  foremen  commit  a  theft, 
the  rest  will  run  any  risk,,  and  resist  every  temptation  of  re  ward,  rather 
than  reveal  it;  and  if  there  be  no  other  mode  of  saving  their  superior 
from  disgrace  and  punishment,  they  will  assume  the  crime,  and  suffer 
its  penalty.  Among  themselves,  theft  is  punished  by  whipping.  The 
punishment  of  adultery  is  by  fine.  Murder  may  be  punished  with 
death,  but  it,  also,  may  be  atoned  for  by  a  pecuniary  fine.  Witchcraft 
is  always  punished  capitally;  but  instances  of  it  are  rare. 

Among  Kroomen  no  offence  is  punishable  with  slavery,  nor  is  any 
Krooman  permitted  to  be  sold  on  any  account  whatever ;  but,  while 
the  slave  trade  continued,  they  were  notonous  for  kidnapping  and  sell- 
ing the  Bushmen,  who  came  down  to  the  coast  for  the  purpose  of  trade. 

Kroomen  are  seldom  very  tall ;  but  they  are  well  made,  muscular, 
vigorous,  and  active.  They  wear  no  clothes,  except  a  piece  of  cloth 
or  a  kerchief  wrapped  around  their  loins ;  but  they  are  fond  of  ob- 
taining hats  and  old  woollen  jackets,  which  they  are  allowed  to  wear 
in  their  own  country  in  the  rainy  season.  They  are  extremely  sensible 
to  cold  during  this  season,  but  never  appear  to  suffer  from  the  heat. 


H.   Doc.  1.  41 

They  are  generally  gay  and  cheerful  in  their  dispositions,  and  frequently 
talkative  and  noisy,  often  evincing  much  talent  for  mimicry.  They 
seldom  speak  English  well,  and  they  understand  it  but  imperfectly. 
They  are  very  fond  of  adopting  what  man-of-war  sailors  call  "pursers' 
names,"  such  as  "pipe  of  tobacco,"  "bottle  of  beer,"  "tin  pot,"  "pea 
soup,"  half  dollar,"  "after  breakfast,"  &c.  They  are  very  sensitive  ; 
and,  if  harsh  and  angry  expressions  are  used  towards  them,  become 
sulky  and  intractable.  But  they  will  bear  even  a  sharp  blow,  if  their 
negligence  deserves  it,  provided  it  seems  to  be  given  more  in  jest  than 
in  earnest. 

In  their  general  conduct,  they  are  more  deliberate  than  impetuous ; 
and,  although  not  a  brave  race,  they  are  less  cowardly  than  the  tribes 
immediately  above  and  below  them. 

Among  themselves  they  are  exceedingly  hospitable  ;  and  when  ab- 
sent from  their  country,  those  who  are  unemployed  are  supported  by 
those  who  are  receiving  wages.  In  their  expenditures  they  are  rigid 
economists,  a  little  tobacco  being  the  only  luxury  which  they  allow  them- 
selves; in  every  other  respect,  they  are  content  with  the  bare  neces- 
saries of  life.  A  small  quantity  of  ship-biscuit  was  the  only  article 
of  provisions  taken  by  those  who  accompanied  me  in  my  boat  expe- 
ditions. Although  fond  of  rum,  they  never  buy  it,  and  never  drink  to 
excess  when  it  is  given  to  them;  and  their  clothing  on  board  of  a  man- 
of-war  consists  only  of  a  flannel  shirt  and  drawers,  and  a  straw  hat. 
On  board  of  trading  vessels  they  wear  their  shore  attire,  and  the  cost 
of  their  clothing  is  insignificant. 

The  residue  of  their  gains  is  converted  into  such  goods  as  are  most 
valuable  in  their  own  country.  In  eighteen  months  or  two  years  a  suf- 
ficient stock  has  been  collected,  and  the  Krooman  returns  home  with 
his  wealth.  A  certain  portion  is  given  to  the  head  man  of  the  town ; 
all  his  relations  and  friends  partake  of  his  bounty,  if  there  be  but  a 
leaf  of  tobacco  for  each;  and  his  mother,  if  living,  has  a  handsome 
present.  All  this  is  done  in  order  "  to  get  him  a  good  name ;"  what 
remains  is  delivered  to  his  father  "to  buy  him  a  wife."  One  so  liberal 
does  not  long  want  a  partner.  The  father  obtains  a  wife  for  him;  and, 
after  a  few  months  of  ease  and  indulgence,  he  sets  off  afresh  to  different 
parts  of  the  coast,  from  Sierra  Leone  to  Fernando  Po,  to  get  more 
money.  By  this  time  he  is  proud  of  being  acquainted  with  "white 
man's  fashions,"  and  takes  with  him  some  raw,  inexperienced  young- 
sters, whom  he  initiates  into  his  profession,  taking  no  small  portion  of 
the  wages  of  the  eleves  for  his  trouble.  In  due  time  his  coffers  are  re- 
plenished ;  he  returns  home,  confirms  his  former  character  for  liberal- 
ity, and  gives  the  residue  of  his  wealth  to  his  father  "  to  get  him  another 
wife."  In  this  way  he  proceeds  for  ten  or  twelve  years,  or  more,  in- 
creasing the  number  of  his  wives,  and  establishing  a  great  character 
among  his  countrymen;  but  scarcely  a  particle  of  his  earnings,  ex- 
cept in  the  article  of  wives,  is  at  any  time  applied  to  his  own  use. 

A  Krooman  sometimes  presents  his  favorite  wife  with  one  of  his  front 
teeth,  which  he  has  extracted  for  the  purpose ;  and  he  mourns  for  a 
departed  friend  by  shaving  all  the  hair  from  the  back  or  one  side  of 
his  head. 


42  H.   Doc.  1. 

The  name  "Krooman  "  is  said  t.o  be  a  corruption  of  the  term  "crew- 
men," because  of  their  general  employment  among  vessels  visiting  the 
African  coast.  Among  this  people  polygamy  exists  universally,  and 
slavery  to  some  extent ;  although  slaves  are  bought  only  from  other 
tribes,  and  are  never  sold  to  foreigners,  or  to  any  person  out  of  their 
own  tribe.  Their  houses  are  built  of  a  square  form,  of  sticks,  covered 
with  bamboo  plaited,  and  the  roof  of  leaf-thatch ;  and  the  floor  is  of 
plaited  bamboo,  raised  eighteen  inches  on  cross-pieces ;  and  the  door 
and  loft  above  are  not  sufficiently  high  to  permit  an  adult  to  enter  with- 
out stooping,  or  to  stand  erect.  There  are,  generally,  three  rooms  in 
each  house,  separated  by  partitions  of  plaited  bamboo.  The  fire-place 
is  made  principally  of  hard  clay,  near  one  corner  of  the  house,  where 
is  the  only  window,  which  serves  both  to  admit  light  and  open  a  pas- 
sage for  the  smoke.  The  smoke  penetrates  the  interstices  of  the  loft 
above  and  preserves  the  rice,  which  would  otherwise  be  destroyed  by 
insects. 

Their  furniture  consists,  mostly,  of  a  few  cooking  utensils  ;  the  floor 
answers  for  bed,  table,  and  chairs;  and  their  pillow  is  a  round  stick  of 
wood.  Their  dress  is  a  piece  of  cloth  wrapped  about  the  loins.  Their 
devotions  are,  superstitiously  gazing  on  the  moon,  and  a  feast  on  the 
first  day  of  the  moon,  among  the  head  men,  and  devotional  walks  in  a 
thicket  called  the  "devil's  bush ;"  and  they  depend  on  amulets  or 
gree-grees  for  protection  and  defence.  The  latter  are  purchased  from 
the  gree-gree  doclors,  for  different  sums  of  money,  according  to  the 
purposes  for  which  they  are  designed.  These  amulets  are  sheep's 
horns,  or  small  pockets,  filled  with  herbs  and  palm-oil  and  dirt,  made 
by  the  conjurer  or  doctor.  These  doctors  are  a  distinct  class  of  men, 
who  come  into  the  profession  hereditarily — the  heads  of  the  families 
teaching  their  children  the  craft.  The  children  destined  to  this  pro- 
fession enter  early  upon  their  studies  under  some  doctor — sometimes 
as  early  as  seveu  or  eight  years  of  age — and  are  distinguished  by  a 
peculiar  straw  dress. 

These  doctors  profess  a  knowledge  of  herbs  and  roots,  and  to  have 
the  means  of  curing  diseases,  and  are  called  to  relieve  the  sick  and 
afflicted  ;  but  their  greatest  reputation  is  derived  from  their  imagined 
supernatural  knowledge.  The  Krop  people  consider  death  and  sickness 
as  caused  by  witchcraft,  and  they  employ  and  rely  upon  the  doctors  to 
point  out  the  person  who  has,  by  witchcraft,  caused  these  evils.  The 
person  who  is  designated  as  guilty  of  the  crime  of  witchcraft  is  arrested 
by  the  soldier  king,  and  condemned  to  the  ordeal  of  sassy-wood.  The 
bark  of  the  sassy-wood  is  powerfully  narcotic,  and  a  strong  decoction 
of  this  the  person  condemned  is  forced  to  drink  ;  and  after  he  has  drunk 
it  he  walks  to  and  fro,  exclaiming,  "Am  I  a  witch?"  "Am  I  a  witch?" 
while  one  of  the  executioners  walks  behind  him  replying,  "You  are  a 
witch,"  "You  are  a  witch,"  and  thus  continues  until  he  either  throws 
off  the  poison  from  his  stomach,  when  he  is  pronounced  innocent,  or  it 
operates  as  a  cathartic,  when  he  is  declared  guilty,  and  compelled  to 
take  more  of  the  decoction,  and  is  subjected  to  other  cruelties  which 
cause  his  speedy  death.  When  pronounced  innocent,  there  is  great  joy 
and  triumph  among  the  friends  of  the  accused,  who  march  through 
the  town  dancing,  singing,  and  firing  guns,  and  the  conjurer  resigns  his 


H.   Doc.  1.  43 

fee  to  those  who  employed  him.  These  shocking,  scenes  of  the  ordeal 
by  sassy-wood  were  of  almost  daily  occurrence  in  former  times,  but 
have  been  much  less  frequent  since  the  establishment  of  missions  among 
them.  Sometimes  this  sassy-wood  ordeal  is  used  to  decide  questions 
between  individuals  ;  and  they  voluntarily  drink  it  to  prove  and  settle 
some  disputed  points.  It  is  one  of  the  most  prevalent  and  cruel  of 
African  superstitions,  and  is  practised  among  nearly  all,  if  not  all,  the 
tribes  of  Africa. 

The  laws  of  the  Kroo  people  form  a  body  of  customs,  handed  down 
by  tradition  from  past  generations,  interpreted  and  enforced  by  the  gen- 
eral council,  who  also  enact  occasional  special  laws,  which  are  generally 
suggested  or  dictated  by  the  doctor  or  conjurer.  The  laws  are  imperfect, 
inconsistent,  and  unfair.  If  one  man  loses  anything  and  accuses  an- 
other of  having  stolen  it,  the  accused  is  required  to  drink  sassy- wood 
water  to  prove  his  innocence.  The  ordeal  of  sassy-wood  is,  therefore, 
a  penalty  for  almost  all  crimes,  and  exerts  a  powerful  restraining  in- 
fluence on  the  community.  When  the  sassy-wood  so  affects  the  accused 
as  to  condemn  him,  his  friends  may  buy  him  off  from  death  for  differ- 
ent sums  of  money,  according  to  the  wealth  of  the  family  accused;  but 
few  are  thus  saved,  in  consequence  of  the  poverty  of  the  friends  of  the 
accused,  and  because,  if  once  rescued,  he  is  liable  to  be  re-accused  for 
any  trifling  offence.  The  ordeal  of  sassy-wood  is  frequently  made  to 
decide  points  of  honor,  precisely  like  the  custom  of  duelling  in  the 
United  States. 

The  leading  motives  of  the  Kroo  people  are  sensuality  and  vanity. 
The  men  employed  by  vessels  on  the  coast,  and  by  traders  as  factors 
on  shore,  are  industrious  ;  but  on  the  plantations,  and  in  their  towns, 
the  men  are  idle,  and  the  women  perform  most  of  the  labor.  The  men 
build  the  houses  and  clear  the  plantations  ;  but  the  women  plant, 
watch,  cultivate,  and  gather  and  beat  the  rice,  and  cut  and  bring  the 
wood,  and  perform  all  the  labor  about  the  house  ;  and  especially  those 
who  are  old  and  incapable  of  other  labor,  are  constantly  and  indus- 
triously engaged  in  making  salt,  by  boiling  down  sea-water.  Salt  is  a 
principal  article  of  trade  with  the  interior  tribes. 

The  women  seldom  eat  with  the  men,  except  a  man's  head  or  favor- 
ite wife,  who  superintends  the  cooking,  and  first  tastes  the  food  before 
he  partakes  of  it. 

The  system  of  polygamy  gives  rise  to  jealousies  and  many  quarrels 
among  the  women.  All  lawful  wives  are  purchased  when  children, 
and,  on  attaining  a  suitable  age,  are  taken  to  their  husbands.  Besides 
these  there  is  a  class  of  women  who  go  and  live  with  any  man  they 
choose,  and  leave  him  for  any  other  at  pleasure.  When  one  or  more 
of  these  leave  a  man  and  run  to  another,  the  one  to  whom  they  resort 
fires  guns,  and  his  lawful  wives  rejoice  with  him;  because  they  regard 
it  as  adding  importance  to  their  husband,  and  it  relieves  them  from  a 
portion  of  their  labor.  There  appears  to  be  a  strong  affection  between 
parents  and  children,  and  brothers  and  sisters;  but  polygamy  doubtless 
lessens  the  affection  between  husbands'  and  wives. 

Kroomen  are  passionate,  but  cowardly  ;  fond  of  war  and  hunting, 
but  have  little  skill  in  either.  When  specially  intrusted  with  property 
they  may  be  expected  to  be  faithful ;  but  if  they  can  slyly  steal,  they 


44 


H.  Doc.    1 


are  apt  to  do  it ;  and  in  case  one  of  their  number  informs  against  the 
thief,  it  is  the  law  that  the  informer  shall  pay  for  the  stolen  property. 

With  respect  to  intellectual  improvement,  the  condition  of  the  Kroo- 
men may  be  considered  as  stationary.  It  is  universally  admitted,  that 
if  a  Krooman  were  to  learn  to  read  and  write  he  would  be  put  to  death 
immediately.  Distinction,  respect,  power  among  his  own  countrymen, 
as  soon  as  age  permits  it,  are  the  high  objects  of  each  one's  ambition. 
He  is  trained  up  in  the  habit  of  looking  forward  to  these  as  to  all  that 
is  honorable  or  desirable.  His  life  is  spent  in  seeking  them  by  the  only 
means  which  the  customs  of  his  country  allow  ;  and  when  possessed 
of  them,  every  exertion  is  used  to  train  others  in  the  same  ways,  in  or- 
der that  he  may  keep  and  enjoy  what  he  has  acquired  with  so  much 
labor.  All  this  is  supported  by  superstition ;  and  under  the  cloak  of 
superstition  are  cruelty  and  injustice.  Who  shall  break  through  these 
shackles  ?  Premiums  have  been  proposed  to  Kroomen  if  they  would 
settle  at  Sierra  Leone,  or  emigrate  to  the  West  Indies;  but  take  away 
from  them  their  desire  of  respect  and  distinction  in  their  own  country, 
and  they  are  deprived  of  every  motive  for  that  industry  and  self-denial 
which  procures  for  them,  at  present,  a  preference  over  other  nations. 

The  indifference  of  Kroomen  to  the  arts  and  comforts  of  the  whites 
would  make  one  regard  them  as  a  very  dull  race  of  men.  A  Kroo- 
man and  a  Mandingo  were  shown  an  English  clock.  It  was  a  new  thing 
to  both  of  them.  The  Krooman  eyed  it  attentively  lor  about  a  minute, 
but  with  an  unmoved  countenance,  and  then  walked  away  to  look  at 
something  else,  without  saying  a  word.  The  Mandingo  could  not  suffi- 
ciently admire  the  equal  and  constant  motion  of  the  pendulum;  his  at- 
tention was  repeatedly  drawn  to  it ;  he  made  all  possible  inquiries  as 
to  the  cause  of  its  motion ;  he  renewed  the  subject  next  morning,  and 
could  hardly  be  persuaded  that  the  pendulum  had  continued  to  "walk," 
as  he  called  it,  all  night.  In  general  the  case  is  nearly  the  same. 
Kroomen  have  little  or  no  curiosity  about  things  which  are  of  no  use 
in  their  own  country ;  they  are  careless  about  our  comforts  and  luxu- 
ries ;  none  of  them  have  been  rendered  necessary  by  habit,  and  they 
would  often  be  inconsistent  with  the  principal  objects  of  their  pursuits. 
But  they  are  sufficiently  acute  and  observant  when  occasion  calls  their 
minds  into  action. 

They  have  not  the  use  of  letters,  and  will  not  permit  their  children 
to  learn  ;  they  talk  miserably  bad  English  ;  and,  living  by  daily  labor, 
which  is  paid  for  in  goods,  they  have  no  occasion  for  manufactures  of 
their  own.  They  have,  therefore,  but  few  opportunities  of  displaying 
peculiar  talent.  They  make  their  own  canoes,  several  of  their  imple- 
ments of  agriculture,  &c,  and  some  trifling  musical  instruments  ;  and 
they  'sometimes  plead  in  their  own  defence  with  much  art.  The  evi- 
dence against  one  examined  on  a  charge  of  theft  was  so  strong,  that 
few  men  would  have  had  the  boldness  to  deny  it.  The  culprit,  how- 
ever, began  a  long  speech  with  expressing  his  sorrow  that  the  judge 
was  not  born  a  Krooman,  and  proceeded  to  enlarge  on  the  superior 
ability  he  would,  in  that  case,"  have  possessed  to  distinguish  between 
truth  and  falsehood  in  all  cases  wherein  Kroomen  were  concerned,  not 
orgetting  the  security  against  deception  which  he  might  possibly  have 
obtained  by  means  of  those  fetishes  of  which  white  men  know  not  the 


H.   Doc.   1.  45 

value  nor  the  use.  Had  the  judge  possessed  but  these  advantages,  he 
would  have  known,  he  argued,  how  much  more  safely  he  might  rely  on 
his  veracity  than  on  all  the  evidence  produced  against  him,  although  it 
was  backed  by  the  unfortunate  circumstance  of  the  stolen  goods  being 
found  in  his  possession. 

A  Krooman  will  never  sell  a  Krooman,  or  allow  him  to  be  sold  by 
others,  if  he  can  prevent  it.  Partly  from  their  general  usefulness  on 
the  coast,  partly  from  the  probability  that  the  sale  of  a  Krooman  would 
be  severely  revenged,  they  have  gone  about  everywhere  in  slave-ships 
and  to  slave  factories,  and  were  active  agents  in  the  slave  trade,  with- 
out any  more  apprehension  of  being  sold  themselves  than  if  they  were 
white  men.  At  home  their  numbers  make  them  formidable  to  their 
neighbors,  and  they  seldom  seem  to  be  engaged  in  war  but  when  great 
divisions  exist  among  themselves ;  few,  therefore,  are  ever  sold. 

Nearly  all  the  vowels  of  their  language  are  pronounced  very  short; 
the  consonant  indistinct,  with  occasionally  a  strong  nasal  sound,  par- 
ticularly in  the  numbers  two  and  three ;  an  apostrophe  after  a  word 
marking  that  short  breaking  off  of  a  sound  (without  dwelling  on  the  last 
letter  or  connecting  it  smoothly  with  the  first  letter  of  the  next  word) 
which  is  common  in  many  languages  on  the  coast. 

The  country  from  Cape  Mount  to  Cape  Palmas  is  an  inhabited  strip 
along  the  seacoast,  with  a  wooded  desert  behind  it,  which  separates  it 
from  the  more  populous  interior,  and  the  coast  tribes  are  ingenious  and 
persevering  in  their  endeavors  to  obstruct  the  intercourse  of  strangers 
with  those  residing  inland. 

As  much  by  drifting  as  by  sailing  we  reached  Sinou,  where  a  Libe- 
rian  schooner  and  a  square-rigged  vessel  were  at  anchor;  and  one  of 
the  latter  was  in  sight,  bearing  down  from  the  north.  The  anchorage 
is  an  exposed  one  for  large  vessels,  but  smaller  ones  find  a  partial 
shelter  from  the  southwest  wind,  and  its  accompanying  heavy  sea, 
behind  Bloobarre  Point.  The  Sinou,  a  small  but  placid  river,  was 
selected  about  eighteen  years  ago  by  colonists  from  Mississippi  and 
Louisiana,  with  a  few  from  South  Carolina,  who,  after  acclimating  at 
Monrovia,  founded  the  town  of  Greenville  on  the  right  bank,  just  above 
the  river's  mouth. 

From  the  sea  this  settlement  presents  an  attractive  appearance. 
Directly  abreast  of  it  the  shore  curves  inwards,  and  then  stretches  to 
the  north,  a  long  line  of  yellow  beach,  fringed  with  a  deep  forest.  To 
the  south  are  two  shallow  bays,  separated  from  each  other  by  project- 
ing crags  of  ferruginous  rock,  the  curved  beach  of  sand  bordered  like 
that  of  the  northern  shore.  At  the  northwest  extremity  of  the  north- 
ernmost bay  is  the  promontory  of  Bloobarre,  a  broad,  high  rock,  its 
surface  bare  and  smooth  to  the  summit,  which  is  covered  with  luxuriant 
foliage.  At  the  inland  base  of  the  promontory  are  the  brown,  conical 
huts  of  the  Bloobarre  tribe.  Outwards,  in  a  line  with  the  promontory, 
and  at  half  a  cable's  length  distance  from  it,  is  a  ledge  of  detached  rocks, 
washed  smooth  by  the  slirf,  which  at  low  water  are  covered  with 
sea-gulls ;  and  between  the  two  is  the  bar. 

Immediately  after  crossing  the  latter,  the  river,  which  is  about  sixty 
yards  wide,  opens  short  to  the  right,  round  the  bluff  promontory,  and 
in  fifty  yards  turns  sharp  to  the  left  by  a  low,  sandy  point,  immediately 


46  H.    Doc.   1. 

opposite  to  which,  near  the  southern  shore,  are  two  smooth,  rocky 
islets — the  nearest  one  bare,  the  farthest  capped  with  vegetation — pre- 
senting a  fine  contrast  between  the  iron-tinted  rock  and  the  rich  green 
upon  its  summit.  Ascending  the  river  there  is  a  low,  sandy  peninsula 
on  the  left,  which  becomes  wider  and  more  elevated  until  reaching 
the  settlement  half  a  mile  distant. 

The  opposite  bank  is  high,  with  several  abrupt  patches  of  ferrugi- 
nous rock.  Greenville  faces  the  sea,  and  the  river  flows  behind  it.  It 
is  regularly  laid  out,  and  Mississippi  avenjre,  with  a  row  of  dwellings 
on  one  side  and  open  to  the  sea  on  the  other,  is  a  delightful  prome- 
nade. The  houses  I  considered  by  far  the  neatest  I  had  seen — two  of 
them  were  quite  handsome  two-story  ones  ;  and  the  gardens  were  in 
better  condition  than  those  of  Monrovia.  There  are  about  sixty  houses 
and  between  three  and  four  hundred  inhabitants  in  the  settlement. 
The  churches  are  the  least  reputable  features  of  the  place  ;  but,  al- 
though unprepossessing  in  their  exterior,  their  congregations  were 
creditable  in  costume  and  deportment.  My  visjt  was  at  the  time  of 
the  annual  meeting  of  the  Baptist  association,  and  the  members  of  that 
persuasion  thronging  into  the  settlement  gave  it  quite  a  lively  appear- 
ance. 

There  are  a  number  of  mechanics  in  Greenville,  particularly  carpen- 
ters, and  in  the  outskirts  of  the  town  I  saw  a  steam  saw-mill,  to  which 
lumber  was  rafted  from  the  river  by  an  artificial  canal.  The  Bloobarre 
district,  opposite  to  the  settlement,  is  very  properly  described  by  the 
Rev.  Mr.  Gurley  as  high,  rich,  and  inviting,  and  he  judiciously  points 
out  the  summit  of  the  promontory  as  an  eligible  site  for  a  light-house. 

Above  Greenville  were  founded  the  settlements  of  Rossville  and 
Readville  ;  but  the  country  around  them,  although  slightly  rolling,  is 
subject  to  inundation.  The  soil  is  composed  of  stiff  clay  overlaid  with 
vegetable  mould,  excepting  the  river  bottoms,  which  are  made  up  from 
the  deposites  of  annual  inundations.  Rice  is  the  principal  growth 
relied  upon  as  an  article  of  food;  but,  like  the  settlements  on  the  Junk 
and  the  St.  John's,  the  colonists  do  not  cultivate  sufficient  for  their  own 
consumption.  A  great  quantity  is,  however,  raised  by  the  natives  ; 
and  such  is  the  productiveness  of  the  soil,  tha1"  slave  vessels,  when 
that  baleful  traffic  was  at  its  height,  resorted  to  the  Sinou  to  purchase 
their  stores  of  rice.  The  principal  article  of  export  at  present  is  palm- 
oil;  but  much  attention  is  now  being  paid  to  the  culture  of  the  coffee- 
plant,  which,  in  beauty  and  fragrance  of  foliage  and  flower,  equals  the 
orange  tree,  and  far  surpasses  it  in  the  utility  of  its  fruit.  Its  deep- 
green  leaves  and  snow-white  blossoms  would  remind  one  of  the  orange, 
if  its  delicious  perfume,  borne  on  the  wind,  had  not  anticipated  the 
comparison. 

The  river,  although  deep  within  the  bar,  is  navigable  only  seventeen 
miles  to  the  falls,  beyond  which  it  runs  shallow  and  obstructed,  through 
the  same  belt  of  wilderness  which  lies  behind  the  colony  inland 
throughout  its  entire  length,  and  constitutes  the  great  barrier  to  the 
more  speedy  improvement  of  settlements  along  the  coast,  and  the 
civilization  and  conversion  of  the  natives  in  the  interior.  The  forest  is 
dense  beyond  conception.  The  crowded  branches  of  the  trees,  twisted 
and  interlaced,  each  bearing  its  full  crop  of  foliage,  form  one  wide 


H.   Doc.   1.  47 

canopy,  which  the  sun  looks  upon  but  cannot  penetrate ;  ^hile  beneath, 
shrubs  and  climbing  plants  weave  themselves  into  tangled  and  im- 
penetrable thickets.  The  timber  of  many  varieties  is  harder  and  heavier 
than  any  in  the  United  States,  the  live  oak  excepted,  and  much  of  it, 
even  when  seasoned,  will  not  float  in  water.  There  are  also  others, 
corresponding  to  our  pine  in  lightness ;  and  whether  for  houses,  ships, 
or  furniture,  the  mechanic  need  never  be  at  a  loss  for  a  selection. 
The  caoutchouc  or  India-rubber  tree  grows  also  large  and  abundant 
here;  its  stems,  branches,  a*d  leaves  emitting  copiously  the  viscous 
fluid  which  is  elsewhere  so  profitable  an  article  of  commerce. 

The  domesticated  cattle  are  small  in  size,  but  there  is  a  large  wild 
breed,  having  short  horns,  with  hides  nearly  destitute  of  hair.  There 
are  many  deer  in  the  forest,  and  leopards  are  occasionally  seen.  In 
consequence  of  the  dense  undergrowth  near  the  coast,  the  range  of  the 
elephant  is  quite  far  in  the  interior.  A  good  deal  of  ivory  is  from  time 
to  time  brought  down;  and  from  the  inequality  of  many  of  the  tusks,  it 
may  be  inferred  that  more  elephants  die  of  disease  than  are  killed  by 
the  natives.  Lizards  and  chameleons  are  common;  but  it  is  averred 
that  serpents  are  rarely,  and  venomous  ones  very  rarely,  seen.  But 
three  kinds  are,  I  believe,  known  to  the  colonists;  and  although  the 
natives  are  unquestionably  acquainted  with  others  their  accounts,  are 
confused  and  unintelligible. 

This  section  of  country  is  thinly  inhabited  by  a  mild  and  inoffensive 
race,  who  are  fond  of  agriculture,  and  represented  as  the  most  indus- 
trious of  any  on  the  coast,  but  as  very  filthy  and  disgusting  in  their 
habits.  They  form  one  of  the  divisions  of  the  Great  Bassa  tribe. 
Through  the  head  man  of  the  principal  village  on  the  Sinou  I  met 
three  natives,  who  represented  themselves  as  coming  from  a  country 
ten  days'  journey  inland.  A  day's  journey  in  Africa  is  about  twenty- 
five  miles;  but  as  the  natives  never  clear  obstructions  from  their  path, 
making  always  a  detour  to  pass  them,  and  even  where  there  are  no  ob- 
stacles preferring  a  zigzag  road  to  a  direct  one,  their  country  cannot  be 
more  than  150  mites  from  Greenville  ;  but  whether  directly  inland,  or 
diagonal  with  the  coast,  I  could  not  ascertain.  From  the  density  of  the 
forest  through  which  they  travelled,  they  took  no  notice  of  the  bearing 
of  the  sun  at  various  times  of  the  day,  and  could  give  no  other  clue 
than  that  they  came  from  the  highlands  to  the  sea. 

From  their  account,  I  inferred  that  their  country  is  not  a  mountain- 
ous one.  They  represented  the  climate  as  but  little  colder  than  that 
of  the  coast ;  and  their  representation  was  confirmed  by  the  scantiness 
of  their  attire,  being  a  single  cloth  about  the  loins,  worn  pendant  in- 
stead of  being  passed  in  and  out  between  the  legs.  Their  country 
abounds,  they  said,  with  goats,  sheep,  and  cattle,  and  the  two  first 
would  have  supplied  them  with  skins  for  garments  if  the  climate  were 
a  cold  one  On  the  other  hand,  they  stated  that  they  possessed  a  breed 
of  dogs  with  long  hair,  whereas  the  few  to  be  seen  along  the  coast  are 
almost  devoid  of  any  hair  whatever.  They  have  neither  crocodiles 
nor  horses,  and  little  camwood  or  ivory,  but  a  great  deal  of  palm-oil. 
The  nut-bearing  palm-tree  is  known  to  be  confined  to  the  seaboard, 
and  the  crocodile  delights  in  the  muddy  deposites  of  wide-spread  estu- 
aries; but  the  camwood  does  not  grow,  and  the  elephant  is  never  found 


48  H.    Doc.  1. 

on  soil  which,  subject  to  inundation,  cannot  sustain  his  enormous  weight. 
I  can  only  reconcile  these  conflicting  accounts  by  the  conclusion  thai 
these  men  came  from  a  country  just  beyond  the  belt  of  forest  between 
the  coast  and  the  interior,  and  not  more  than  70  or  80  miles  in  a  direct 
line  from  the  sea.  They  were  unquestionably  Bushmen,  and,  excepting 
some  Arabs  of  the  desert,  the  wildest  and  shyest  beings  I  have  ever 
seen.  They  were  under  the  medium  stature,  but  exceedingly  broad- 
chested  and  muscular.  Their  bodies  were  long,  their  legs  unnaturally 
short,  and  their  whole  appearance  indicated  great  strength  combined 
with  extraordinary  activity. 

From  a  single  interview,  although  a  prolonged  one,  it  would  be  un- 
wise to  form  a  decided  opinion ;  but,  the  impression  left  on  my  mind 
was,  that  with  equal  native  shrewdness,  they  evinced  less  duplicity 
than  characterizes  the  tribes  along  the  coast.  From  Tolon,  themselves, 
they  named  the  following  tribes  as  inhabiting  the  intermediate  country, 
commencing  with  the  seacoast :  "  Twah,"  "  Nenvoo,"  "  Ghepoh," 
"Tygepoh,"  "Drapoh,"  "Nafou,"  "Sapoh,"  "Cabadeh,"  "Tatroo." 
Notwithstanding  their  uncouth  and  savage  appearance,  these  men, 
after  their  first  shyness  wore  off,  exhibited  much  social  feeling,  and  a 
marked  love  of  humor. 

The  Sinou  is  navigable  to  as  great  a  distance  as  the  St.  Paul's,  but 
its  banks  are  less  thickly  settled,  and  there  is  less  water  on  its  bar ; 
but  the  soil  is  fertile,  and  the  heaviest  vessels  built  for  the  coasting 
trade  can  enter  the  river  with  facility.  The  first  settlers  were  unques- 
tionably energetic  and  industrious;  and  from  the  aspect  of  Greenville, 
I  should  judge  that  there  has  .been  no  great  relaxation.  There  is 
throughout  the  place  a  pleasing  aspect  of  prosperity,  and  I  consider  it 
the  prettiest  settlement  I  have  seen  in  Africa. 

The  rivers  "Dehvoeh,"  "  Coroo,"  and  "Teeroroah,"  are  the  princi- 
pal streams  flowing  into  the  Atlantie  between  the  Sinou  and  the  Gar- 
raway,  the  southern  line  of  the  republic.  The  coast  preserves  its  low, 
monotonous  character,  only  throwing  up  a  sufficient  number  of  de- 
tached elevations  to  prevent  its  being  classified  as  one  unbroken  level. 
The  first  of  these  interruptions  is  a  solitary  hill  abreast  of  Kroo  rock, 
about  ten  miles  below  Sinou.  Twelve  miles  further,  south  of  the  Co- 
roo, are  three  elevations,  one  of  them  260  feet  in  height.  Twenty 
miles  beyond  is  a  hill  just  within  Sesters  Point,  210  feet  high ;  and  in 
a  line  with  it,  a  short  distance  inland,  is  a  range  comment- '"  r  at  Flat 
Hill,  and  becoming  mountainous  as  it  stretches  into  the  interior;  and  in 
a  northeast  direction  from  it,  the  Sugar  Loaf  shows  isolated  730  feet  in 
height.  At  New  Sesters  was  the  last  slave  factory  between  Cape 
Mount  and  Cape  Palmas.  South  of  Grand  Sesters  is  Table  Hill,  190 
feet  high  near  the  shore,  with  the  Paps,  two  rounded  summits,  a  few 
•  miles  inland ;  and  from  thence  to  the  Garraway,  the  southern  boundary 
of  the  republic,  are  five  or  six  hillocks,  mostly  contiguous  to  the  shore. 

The  imports  of  the  Republic  of  Liberia,  on  which  duties  were  paid 
for  the  year  ending  September  30,  1851,  amounted  to  $166,000.  The 
exports,  of  which  no  account  is  kept,  may  be  safely  estimated  at  a 
much  larger  sum,  as  along  the  entire  coast  commerce  increases  rapidly. 

From  the  Garraway  to  Cape  Palmas  is  the  Atlantic  coast  of  territory 
settled  by  the  Maryland  Colonization  Society.     At  the  latter  point  the 


H.  Doc.  1.  49 

coast  line  tends  abruptly  to  the  east,  along  the  Gulf  of  Guinea,  as  far 
as  Cape  Lahore.  Between  the  Garraway  and  the  first  named  Cape, 
besides  the  hill  of  Kabla,  290  feet  high,  near  the  shore,  there  are  but 
three  elevations  visible  from  the  sea,  of  which  Flat  Mountain  is  1,090 
feet  in  height;  all  else  is  level  forest. 

Cape  Palmas  is  a  bold  promontory,  in  a  marked  geographical  posi- 
tion, where  the  Atlantic  suddenly  swerves  to  the  left  and  forms  the  Gulf 
of  Guinea.  From  the  current  which  sweeps  into  the  gulf  along  the 
coast,  all  vessels  bound  in  that  direction  avail  themselves  of  it  and  pass 
within  sight  of  the  Cape,  which  must  eventually  attain  great  commer- 
cial importance.  The  extremity  of  the  Cape  is  crowned  with  a  light- 
house, and  is  separated  from  the  main  land  by  the  Hoffman  river, 
which  has  from  three  to  seven  feet  water  upon  its  bar,  and  is  navigable 
but  a  short  distance  from  its  mouth.  The  fine  headland,  the  scattering 
houses  upon  its  summit,  the  rocky  islet  on  one  side,  and  on  the  other, 
across  the  river,  the  wide  extent  of  country,  part  forest  and  part  prairie, 
present,  from  the  anchorage,  a  beautiful  appearance.  The  rocky  islet, 
formerly  used  by  the  natives  as  a  receptacle  for  their  dead,  is  now 
called  Russworm's  island,  in  honor  of  the  first  colored  governor  of  the 
colony.  It  is  small  and  irregular  in  its  outlines,  the  chafing  of  the  sea 
having  worn  deep  fissures  in  its  sides.  Between  it  and  the  peninsula 
is  a  narrow  channel,  practicable  only  for  boats.  Back  of  the  Cape  are 
seen  houses  of  colonists,  and  the  conical  peaks  of  native  huts,  which, 
from  the  sea,  appear  to  be  confusedly  intermingled.  In  the  distance, 
shooting  up  from  the  plain,  or  overtopping  the  woodland,  are  many 
detached  hills,  one  of  them  to  the  north  (Mount  Vaughan)  rendered  con- 
spicuous by  the  buildings  of  an  Episcopal  mission. 

On  visiting  the  shore  we  pulled  by  a  snug  cove,  with  rocky  extremi- 
ties, but  a  smooth  sandy  beach  between,  just  within  the  pitch  of  the 
Cape,  and,  crossing  the  bar  without  difficulty,  landed  at  a  small  stone 
wharf  just  within  the  river's  mouth.  Immediately  at  the  head  of  the 
wharf  is  a  large  stone  warehouse,  from  whence  a  good  winding  road 
leads  to  the  summit.  On  this  broad  elevated  platform  are  the  colonial 
settlements  of  Harper  and  Latrobe,  with  two  native  villages  between 
them.  The  village  of  Harper  consists  of  one  wide  street,  with  the  gov- 
ernment house,  the  custom-house,  a  number  of  private  dwellings,  and 
at  its  northern  extremity  the  light-house,  besides  a  large  stone  building 
under  c     truction,  intended  as  an  orphan  asylum. 

From  t.AS  settlement  a  broad  McAdamized  road  leads  by  the  na- 
tive villages,  through  Latrobe,  to  Mount  Tubman,  three  miles  distant. 
Latrobe  consists  of  a  number  of  small  farms,  with  the  dwellings  neatly 
enclosed,  stretching  some  distance  on  both  sides  of  the  road.  The  first 
native  village,  within  which  is  the  royal  residence  of  the  king,  contains 
about  200  thatched  huts  and  1,000  inhabitants :  the  second  one,  about 
half  a  mile  from  it,  below  the  hill  and  nearer  to  the  river,  has  about  300 
inhabitants.  The  Grebo  tribe,  to  which  they  belong,  owns  the  territory 
from  Fishtown  to  the  Cavally  river,  but  are  almost  wholly  confined  to 
the  seacoast,  their  territory  being  about  thirty  miles  in  length,  by  six 
to  eight  inland. 

Turning  aside  from  the  road,  by  far  the  best  I  have  seen  in  Liberia, 
I  entered  one  of  the  largest  huts  of  the  principal  village.     The  walls 


50  H.    Doc.    1. 

were  plastered  inside  and  out,  and  the  thatched  roof  projected  all  round, 
two  feet  beyond  them.  There  were  three  low  doors,  one  in  front  and 
one  on  each  side.  Suspended  to  the  wall,  opposite  to  the  front  entrance, 
were  from  forty  to  fifty  white  wash-hand-basins,  and  before  them,  on 
the  mud  floor,  were  eight  or  ten  large  stone  jars.  According  to  the  quan- 
tity of  crockery  thus  exhibited,  is  the  estimated  wealth  of  the  proprie- 
tor. A  fire  was  burning  on  the  floor  between  the  two  side-doors,  and 
two  piles  of  cut  wood  were  suspended  from  the  rafters,  as  a  reserve 
store  for  wet  weather.  Over  the  fire  was  a  frame  for  rice  in  the  ear, 
and  many  bunches,  hung  to  the  rafters,  were  designed  for  seed.  In  one 
part  small  beams  were  thrown  across  which  supported  a  rude  flooring, 
with  a  ladder  to  ascend  to  it,  made  to  trice  up  and  held  by  a  hook. 
There  were  two  men,  one  woman,  and  a  child,  in  the  hut,  which  was 
far  more  spacious  within  than  one  would  suppose  from  its  external  ap- 
pearance. 

The  natives  seemed  less  sprightly  and  intelligent,  and  certainly,  as 
far  as  costume  can  indicate  it,  are  less  civilized  than  any  I  have  seen 
in  immediate  contact  with  the  colonists.  But  there  is  said  to  be  a  slight 
improvement.  Formerly,  a  narrow  piece  of  cloth  in  front  constituted 
the  whole  attire  ;  now,  a  corresponding  piece  is  worn  behind,  but  the 
appearance  is  disgusting.  Yet  even  here  fashion  has  its  votaries,  and 
none  but  the  aristocracy  can  aspire  to  the  color  of  the  season. 

I  likewise  visited  the  Fetish  House,  which  in  its  exterior  presented  no 
perceptible  difference  from  the  others.  The  idol,  made  of  wood,  was 
about  fifteen  inches  high,  a  misshapen  figure  between  that  of  a  monkey 
and  a  man,  with  a  small,  dirty  feather  drooping  from  its  head.  It  was 
fenced  in  on  three  sides,  and  in  the  enclosure  were  some  tin  pots  and 
trumpery,  all  covered  with  dust.  There  was  a  fire  in  the  corner  of  the 
hut,  and  a  woman,  with  a  child  in  her  arms,  seated  beside  it.  These 
people  regard  their  Fetish  as  an  evil  spirit,  whom  in  evil  times  they 
seek  to  propitiate.  They  have  no  regular  time  for  worship.  Some  years 
back  the  last  human  sacrifice  was  offered.  A  man  of  this  village,  be- 
lieving it  necessary  to  sprinkle  human  blood  upon  his  Fetish,  in  order 
to  avert  some  threatened  calamity,  employed  another  to  kill  a  boy  for 
him.  But  the  employer  was  obliged  to  fly,  and  will  be  severely  pun- 
ished by  the  tribe  should  he  return. 

There  are  eleven  new  houses  being  built  by  the  colonists,  besides  the 
Orphan  Asylum  and  the  Methodist  church,  and  there  was  a  great  de- 
mand for  building  materials.  In  other  repects  there  were  few  indica- 
tions of  prosperity,  and  not  many  signs  of  trade  perceptible  to  the 
eye  of  the  observer ;  yet  the  value  of  the  imports  last  year  was  nearly 
$100,000,  and  of  the  exports  upwards  of  $80,000.  The  trade  of  the 
colony  with  the  interior  is  very  injuriously  affected  by  trading  vessels, 
which,  being  driven  from  the  coast  of  the  republic  by  a  rigid  enforce- 
ment of  its  revenue  laws,  carry  on  their  traffic  along  the  shores  of  this 
colony  almost  within  sight  of  Cape  Palmas. 

On  the  road  from  Harper  to  Latrobe  I  met  two  ox-carts,  drawn  by 
two  small  oxen  each — one  of  them  belonging  to  the  society,  the  other 
the  property  of  an  individual.  I  likewise  saw  a  native  mother  feeding 
her  child  in  a  peculiar  manner.  The  little  thing  was  laid  between  her 
knees,  face  upward,  and  its  feet  towards  her.      With  one  hand  the 


H.  Doc.  1.  51 

mother  held  it  down,  and  with  the  other  filled  its  mouth  from  time  to 
time  with  soft  boiled  rice,  which  was  smoking-hot.  When  the  mouth 
was  crammed  full,  she  pinched  the  infant's  nose  until  the  rice  was 
swallowed.  They  think  that  a  child  never  gets  sufficient  nourish- 
ment from  the  breast,  and  that  to  thiive  it  cannot  be  stuffed  too  freely. 

There  is  here  a  public  farm  of  sixteen  acres,  of  which  ten  were  in 
cultivation  when  I  saw  it,  and  the  remainder  was  used  as  pasturage. 
There  were  some  coffee-trees,  and  the  cassada,  sweet  potatoes,  plan- 
tains, and  Indian  corn,  were  in  cultivation.  The  coffee-trees  did  not 
seem  to  flourish,  and  altogether  the  farm  presented  a  less  thrifty  ap- 
pearance than  it  doubtless  would  have  done  had  it  been  individual 
property.  It  is  ever  the  case,  that  management  by  deputy  will  never 
compete  with  the  superintending  vigilance  of  the  owner.  I  mean  to 
cast  no  reflection  on  Dr.  McGill,  the  colonial  governor,  whose  time 
is  engrossed  by  more  pressing  and  important  cares. 

In  the  two  colonial  settlements  there  are  122  voters  and  about  800 
inhabitants.  I  was  there  on  an  election  day,  and  the  place  was  quite 
lively.  The  people  were  in  their  best  attire.  The  men  gathered  in 
groups  near  the  building  where  the  poll  was  held,  while  the  women 
stood  about  in  the  shade,  principally  near  the  stands,  where  some  of 
their  sex  displayed,  on  long  tables,  cakes,  fruit,  etc.,  for  sale. 

A  short  time  ago  it  was  unanimously  decided  to  declare  the  independ- 
ence of  the  colony,  and  this  day  the  voters  were  assembled  to  elect 
commissioners,  to  proceed  to  the  United  States  and  confer  with  the 
Maryland  Colonization  Society  on  the  subject.  At  the  same  time, 
delegates  were  to  be  elected  to  a  convention  for  forming  a  State  con- 
stitution. This  act,  seemingly  premature,  is,  I  believe,  the  offspring  of 
necessity.  I  am  inclined  to  think  so  from  what  I  see  around  me,  and 
am  convinced  of  it  by  the  concurrence  of  the  Society  at  home,  whichin 
most  respects  has  heretofore  so  wisely  directed  the  affairs  of  the  colony. 
The  election  was  conducted  in  a  quiet  and  orderly  manner,  and  I  am 
satisfied  that  in  its  climate,  soil,  geographical  position,  and  the  general 
character  of  its  settlers,  this  colony  possesses  the  elements  of  undevel- 
oped prosperity.  The  settlement  has  heretofore  been  retarded  in  its 
growth  by  the  number  of  emigrants  sent  out,  who  were  either  infirm 
in  health,  feeble  from  age,  or  indolent  in  their  habits  and  of  listless 
characters — too  many  recently  emancipated  from  slavery,  with  no  idea 
of  freedom  beyond  exemption  from  labor.  A  better  time  is  approach- 
ing ;  and  when  the  colony  becomes  an  independent  State,  it  will  compete 
with  its  sister  republic  to  the  north,  in  the  advantages  it  presents  to  the 
enterprising  settler. 

In  and  around  Cape  Palmas,  for  four  or  five  miles  from  the  shore, 
the  soil  is  a  sandy  prairie,  but  soon  presents  clay,  covered  with  vegeta- 
ble mould ;  and  in  the  valleys  between  the  clumps  of  hills,  which  are 
seen  in  every  direction,  is  a  rich  alluvial  soil,  capable  of  supporting  an 
immense  population.  Among  these  valleys  are  found  most  of  the  na- 
tive villages. 

Just  below  the  principal  village  is  the  grave  of  King  Freeman,  who 
was  in  life  a  warm  friend  of  the  colony.  In  a  rude  enclosure,  just 
large  enough  to  contain  them,  are  two  huts,  and  in  one  of  them  is  the 
royal  grave,  unmarked  by  mound  or  tombstone.     The  broad-brimmed 


52  H.    Doc.  1. 

straw  hat  of  the  deceased  alone  indicates  the  spot.  Without  the  door 
of  the  hut  are  some  old  clothes  torn  into  shreds,  and  many  fragments 
of  pottery.  The  former  are  torn,  and  the  latter  broken,  because  the 
natives  believe  that  the  spirit  of  the  departed  can  unite  them  at  will, 
while  in  their  dismembered  condition  they  present  no  temptation  to  the 
living.  The  opening  to  the  enclosure  is  never  secured ;  it  is  directly 
beside  the  thoroughfare  between  the  two  villages,  but  seems  neither  to 
attract  nor  repel  the  people  continually  passing  to  and  fro.  Except  the 
stranger,  monkeys  from  the  adjoining  wood  seem  to  be  its  only 
visitants ;  and  the  latter  visit  it  unmolested,  for  although  this  people  are 
fond  of  them  as  food,  and  will  destroy  them  elsewhere,  they  hold  them 
sacred  in  a  grave-yard. 

King  Freeman  did  not,  as  is  usual,  name  a  successor.  Great  funeral 
honors  were  paid  to  his  remains  by  the  colonists,  which  so  gratified  the 
tribe  that  it  was  conceded  that  no  one  should  be  made  to  drink  red 
water,  except  about  half  a  dozen  who  were  accused  of  "  making  witch 
for  the  king,"  and  the  privilege  was  granted  to  the  colony  of  naming 
his  successor.  The  one  selected  was  Peroh-Nah  (Yellow  Will,)  a  stout 
mulatto,  with  a  frank,  intelligent  countenance. 

The  ordeal  of  sassy-wood  may  now  be  considered  obsolete  with 
that  portion  of  the  tribe  in  the  immediate  vicinity  of  the  settlements; 
and  in  some  of  the  villages  of  the  tribe  labor  is  forbidden  on  the 
Sabbath ;  but  from  what  I  could  learn,  compensation  is  expected  for  the 
lost  day. 

The  Grebo  language  is  different  from  that  of  the  Bassa's,  although 
they  have  some  affinity  to  each  other.  It  has  been  reduced  to  a  syste- 
matic form  by  the  Rev.  Mr.  Wilson,  and  is  used  in  the  schools  and 
religious  exercises  of  the  mission.  The  Grebo  tribe  is  estimated  at 
about  twenty  thousand,  and  they  are  represented  as  docile  and  indus- 
trious, but  much  addicted  to  thieving.  The  above  named  reverend 
gentleman,  who  resided  for  some  years  among  them,  states  that  although 
each  tribe  has  its  king,  there  is  not  a  feature  of  royalty  in  the  govern- 
ment :  so  different  is  it  from  the  arbitrary  despotism  which  prevails  in 
certain  parts  of  Africa,  that  it  may  be  regarded  as  the  purest  specimen 
of  republicanism  to  be  found  in  the  world.  The  people  govern,  and 
they  govern  en  masse.  All  proceedings,  whether  legislative,  judicial, 
or  executive,  are  conducted  by  the  people  in  a  body,  and  the  majority 
enact,  abolish,  suspend,  and  execute  all  laws  whatever.  No  office  is 
hereditary,  and  there  is  nothing  like  caste.  Kings,  chiefs,  men,  women, 
and  children,  eat,  drink,  sleep,  and  mingle  together  in  the  common 
affairs  of  life  with  as  little  restraint  as  the  herds  of  cattle  which  graze 
in  their  meadows.  Kings  think  it  no  detraction  from  their  dignity  to 
perform  the  most  irksome  drudgery,  and  to  labor  side  by  side  with  their 
poorest  subjects,  provided  there  be  no  one  to  witness  it  who  would 
probably  deride  them  for  it.  In  some  respects  the  government  is 
patriarchal.  Each  family  in  the  male  line  keeps  itself  entirely  distinct 
from  the  others;  and  there  is  always  one  representative  head,  who  is 
the  guardian  of  the  property  and  the  protector  of  the  rights  of  the 
family.  When  a  family  becomes  too  large  to  transact  business  without 
inconvenience,  it  is  divided,  and  subordinate  heads  are  appointed. 
These  subordinate  heads  manage  all  their  affairs  separately,  except  in 


H.    Doc.    1.  53 

matters  of  great  moment.  The  bead  man  of  each  family  receives  and 
holds  all  the  money  and  other  property  of  its  different  members.  He 
is  accountable,  however,  for  the  disbursements  of  the  common  stock. 
He  is  required  to  purchase  wives  for  the  young  men,  and  is  responsible 
to  the  people  at  large  for  the  payment  of  all  fines  which  may  be  im- 
posed upon  the  members  of  his  family.  However  successful  any  one 
individual  may  be  in  amassing  property,  he  cheerfully  deposites  almost 
the  whole  of  it  in  the  house  of  the  head  man  of  his  family,  and  seems 
amply  repaid  for  his  toil  in  having  the  satisfaction  to  know  that  he  has 
contributed  largely  to  the  common  stock. 

The  old  men  who  stand  at  the  head  of  their  respective  families  are 
much  revered;  and  when  they  unite  on  a  particular  measure,  their 
influence  is  very  considerable,  and  their  decisions  seldom  reversed.  But 
there  does  not  seem  to  be  anything  like  political  organization  among 
them. 

There  are  four  prominent  offices  among  them :  the  Bodio,  the  Tihba- 
wah,  the  Worabank,  and  the  Ibadio.  The  two  first  are  sacred  offices. 
The  Bodio  is  the  protector  of  the  people  and  the  town.  His  house  is  of 
a  different  shape  and  much  larger  than  the  others ;  it  is  something  of  a 
sanctuary,  and  is  a  place  of  refuge  for  all  culprits  who  fly  to  it.  If  a 
criminal  can  enter  the  house  and  place  his  hands  upon  the  great  gree- 
gree,  no  one  but  the  Bodio  can  remove  him.  In  front  of  the  Bodio's 
house  important  oaths  are  administered,  and  perjury  under  such  circum- 
stances is  guilt  of  the  deepest  dye.  If  the  Bodio  puts  his  hand  upon  a 
person  condemned  to  drink  sassy-wood  water,  the  latter  goes  free. 
He  wears  a  plain  iron  ring  round  his  ankle,  as  the  badge  of  his  office, 
and  if  that  should  by  any  means  be  removed  or  lost,  he  would  lose  his 
office  and  be  subject  to  a  heavy  fine.  He  is  subjected  to  a  great  many 
singular  restrictions.  He  must  never  sleep  out  of  his  own  town  ;  the 
rain  must  never  touch  his  head;  and  he  is  never  allowed  to  sit  down, 
except  upon  a  monkey  skin,  which  he  always  carries  in  his  hand.  He 
is  restricted  from  certain  kinds  of  food,  and  on  burial  days  he  is  not 
allowed  to  partake  of  any  food  whatever  until  the  sun  has  gone  down; 
and  he  can  wear  only  one  kind  of  cloth. 

If  a  stranger  has  a  complaint  against  any  individual  in  the  town,  he 
prefers  it  before  the  Bodio,  who  calls  a  town  council  and  presides  at  it, 
but  has  no  power  to  decide  any  case  without  the  concurrence  of  the 
people.  The  wife  of  the  Bodio  is  a  person  of  still  greater  sanctity ; 
any  lewd  intercourse  with  her  is  always  most  severely  punished.  On 
no  consideration  whatever  would  she  be  allowed  to  be  absent  from 
home  one  night.  If  the  town  burns  down,  and  months  elapse  before  it 
is  rebuilt,  she  must  sleep  on  the  spot,  whatever  be  the  state  of  the 
weather.  t 

The  Tihbawah  is  the  judicial  head  of  the  soldiery.  He  is  subjected 
to  nearly  the  same  restraints  as  the  Bodio. 

The  Worabank  is  commander-in-chief  in  time  of  war.  The  inter- 
pretation of  his  name  is  Tower  Tail,  and  its  origin  is  a  little  singular, 
but  in  strict  accordance  with  the  notions  of  Africans.  Here,  as  every- 
where else  in  the  world,  the  post  of  most  danger  is  the  post  of  greatest 
honor.  Hence  the  rearmost  rank  in  retreat,  which  is  very  common  in 
their  warfare,  is  the  place  of  greatest  danger,  and  he  who  has  bravery 


54  H.  Doc.  1. 

enough  lo  occupy  it,  becomes  the  commander-in-chief.  His  authority- 
is  never  exercised  until  war  is  declared,  and  then  he  has  more  power 
than  any  other  individual  in  the  community.  He  is  subject  to  none  of 
the  restrictions  of.  the  Bodio  and  the  Tihbawah,  but  eats,  drinks,  and 
wears  what  he  pleases. 

The  Ibadio  is  associated  with  the  Tihbawah,  and  is  something  of  a 
civil  magistrate  among  the  soldiery  in  time  of  peace.  But  the  most 
powerful  and  efficient  organization  is  the  soldiery.  They  constitute 
the  bone  and  sinew  of  the  body  politic.  It  embraces  the  chief  part  of 
young  and  middle  aged  men.  They  fight  the  wars  of  the  people,  and 
they  repay  themselves  abundantly  for  their  toil  and  exposure  by  their 
high-handed  and  exorbitant  exactions  both  in  peace  and  war.  It  is  an 
elective  body.  No  one  can  be  admitted  into  its  ranks  without  paying 
an  initiation  fee,  which  is  usually  a  bullock.  They  receive  a  great 
many  presents  to  avert  rapacity,  and  they  help  themselves  to  much 
that  is  not  given  to  them.  They  never  deprive  a  man  of  his  property, 
however,  without  alleging  some  crime  against  him.  The  charge  of 
witchcraft  is  one  they  can  always  bring  forward  with  some  plausibility, 
and  the  result  of  the  prosecution,  if  nothing  worse,  always  turns  a  bul- 
lock into  their  hands.  But  the  people  understand  their  interests,  and 
save  their  property,  and  perhaps  their  lives,  by  voluntary  offerings. 

There  is  no  other  restraint  but  interest  on  this  powerful  body.  As 
it  is  constituted  by  representation  from  each  family,  and  as  all  fines 
imposed  upon  an  individual  must  be  paid  out  of  the  family  stock,  they 
naturally  restrain  each  other,  and  prevent  much  lawless  aggression. 
They  do  not  often  oppose  the  influence  of  the  old  men,  and  rarely,  if 
ever,  reverse  their  decisions ;  but  the  old  men  are  careful  not  to  in- 
fringe upon  the  prerogatives  of  the  soldiery.  The  latter  enforce  all  de- 
cisions that  are  passed  by  the  people  in  a  collective  capacity.  If  any 
one  refuses  to  pay  a  fine  that  is  imposed,  it  is  only  necessary  to  report 
the  case  to  the  soldiery,  who  are  always  glad  of  an  opportunity  to 
interfere,  for,  besides  collecting  the  fine,  they  always  abundantly  in- 
demnify themselves  for  their  trouble.  In  time  of  war  they  may  seize 
and  kill  any  cattle  they  please,  and  the  owner  does  not  dare  demur. 
If  he  charge  one  of  them  with  stealing,  they  employ  the  following  test: 
The  accused  is  taken  to  the  water-side,  and  an  open  basket  is  pro- 
vided. The  accuser  is  told  that  if  the  basket  holds  water  the  soldier 
is  guilty,  but  should  it  run  out  the  charge  is  pronounced  a  false  accusa- 
tion, and  he  who  has  preferred  it  is  fined  three-fold  for  bis  audacity. 
The  mode  of  trial  is  well  understood,  and  few  expose  themselves  to  the 
snare. 

There  are  no  other  magistrates  in  this  tribe,  and  all  cases  of  dispute 
are  submitted  to  the  people  for  adjudication.  They  have  no  written 
laws,  and  all  their  decisions  are  made  viva  voce.  They  never  inflict 
capital  punishment;  and  although  the  husband  often  castigates  his 
wives,  sometimes  severely,  the  children  are  indulged  to  the  utmost, 
and  are  never  whipped.  Banishment  is  the  highest  penalty  ever  en- 
forced. Almost  every  trespass  is  punished  by  fine,  which  is  regulated 
not  so  much  by  the  nature  of  the  offence  as  by  the  ability  of  the  delin- 
quent to  pay.  For  stealing,  the  thief  is  required  to  restore  two,  three, 
and  sometimes  four- fold. 


H.  Doc.   1.  55 

The  charge  of  witchcraft  is  the  most  disgraceful  that  can  be  alleged. 
They  have  several  trials  by  ordeal.  One  of  them  is  to  dip  the  hand 
into  boiling  oil.  If  it  can  be  submerged  in  the  oil  and  taken  out  un- 
injured, the  accused  is  declared  guiltless;  if  not,  he  is  condemned. 
Another,  more  serious,  and  more  universal  along  the  entire  coast,  is  the 
trial  by  sassy-wood  water,  which  is  regarded  as  an  infallible  mode  of 
detecting  witchcraft.  The  bark  of  the  tree  is  procured,  and  from  it  a 
strong  decoction  is  prepared,  which  the  accused  is  enjoined  to  drink. 
If  he  disgorge  it,  he  is  pronounced  innocent;  if  not,  his  death  is  in- 
evitable. This  trial  by  sassy-wood  is  always  voluntary  on  the  part  of 
the  accused;  he  is  not  compelled  to  drink  it,  but  death  is  preferable  to 
the  suspicion  of  witchcraft,  and  many  who  perish  drink  it  in  the  con- 
fident belief  that  it  will  not  injure  them. 

The  will  of  the  people  is  the  law  of  the  land,  and  no  man  can 
prosper  who  does  not  conciliate  public  opinion.  If  any  one  be  more 
successful  than  the  rest  of  his  tribe  in  accumulating  property,  he  be- 
comes the  subject  of  jealousy,  and  some  charge  is  sure  to  be  preferred 
against  him.  This  would  seem  to  be  a  great  drawback  to  industry ;  but 
it  is  not  so  with  Africans.  They  scarce  know  what  discouragement  is. 
If  the  whole  property  of  an  individual  be  swept  away  by  fire,  or  the 
violence  of  a  mob,  in  good  glee  he  immediately  sets  to  work  to  repair 
his  loss.  Enterprising  men  have  seen  the  whole  of  their  property  de- 
stroyed three  or  four  times  in  their  lives  without  manifesting  despond- 
ency, or  relaxing  their  efforts  to  retrieve  their  fortune. 

The  families  of  the  tribe  are  so  much  interwoven,  and  their  mar- 
riages one  with  the  other  are  so  frequent,  that  the  interest  of  each 
community  requires  that  it  should  deal  equitably  with  others ;  and  they 
have  too  many  mutual  drawbacks  upon  each  other  to  allow  any  high- 
handed or  unjust  procedure.  Litigated  points  between  individuals  are 
frequently  referred  to  a  third  party. 

The  treaties  of  the  tribe  are  held  sacred,  and  they  have  several 
ways  of  ratifying  them.  The  most  common  is  the  following:  The  par- 
ties concerned  take  each  a  mouthful  of  water  from  the  same  vessel  and 
eject  it  in  the  presence  of  witnesses,  at  the  same  time  calling  upon 
God,  the  devil,  and  the  town,  to  bear  testimony.  They  have  another, 
that  is  employed  on  extraordinary  occasions,  particularly  when  a  league 
of  amit3'-  is  for  the  first  time  established.  An  incision  is  made  upon  the 
backs  of  the  hands  of  persons  belonging  to  the  two  parties,  with  the 
same  knife.  By  this  means  their  blood  is  mingled,  and  they  become 
one  people.  Treaties  thus  ratified  are  as  inviolable  as  any  in  the 
world,  and  may  be  relied  upon  with  implicit  confidence. 

Much  that  1  have  said,  especially  respecting  the  tribes,  apart  from 
what  I  gathered  myself,  is  derived,  some  of  it  verbatim,  from  Dr. 
McDowell  and  the  Rev.  Messrs.  Connelly  and  Wilson. 

Anxious  to  obtain  information  respecting  the  river  Cavalry  from 
Bishop  Payne,  of  the  Episcopal  church,  who  resided  in  its  vicinity,  I 
started,  on  the  16th  February,  at  7  a.  m.,  in  company  with  Commander 
Barron  and  Surgeon  Sinclair,  on  a  visit  to  Half  Cavally,  the  seat  of  the 
mission.  Landing  at  Harper,  we  walked  to  Latrobe,  and  from  thence 
embarked  on  Shepherd's  lake,  which  lies  lengthwise  parallel  to  the 
sea,  from  which  it  is  separated  by  a  high  and  narrow  strip  of  sand.     In 


56  H.    Doc.  1. 

an  hour  and  a  half  we  arrived  at  the  head  of  the  lake,  after  passing 
Half  Grahway  and  Grahway,  two  populous  villages  of  the  Grebo 
tribe,  situated  on  the  narrow  strip  between  the  lake  and  the  sea. 
These  villages  are  fenced  in  by  palisades,  eight  to  ten  feet  high,  with 
an  opening  at  each  extremity,  barely  wide  enough  for  one  person  to 
enter  at  a  time,  and  so  low  as  to  require  him  to  stoop  in  passing. 
Thence,  walking  a  quarter  of  a  mile,  we  came  to  another  very  large 
village,  and  a  few  hundred  yards  further  to  a  smaller  one,  inhabited  by 
the  same  tribe.  There  were  many  women  and  children  about,  looking 
contented  and  healthy;  but  there  were  very  few  men  visible,  they 
being  absent  preparing  the  fields  for  planting  rice  the  approaching  rainy 
season.  The  few  males  who  fell  under  my  observation  were  better 
clothed  than  the  females ;  and  this  remark  is  applicable  to  all  the  tribes 
I  have  seen.  The  men  seem  here  to  have  invaded  the  privileges  of  the 
other  sex  in  two  particulars — by  evincing  a  greater  love  of  dress,  and 
by  monopolizing  the  use  of  needle  and  thread.  The  husband  mends 
the  household  garments,  while  the  wife  splits  wood  for  the  fire.  There 
is  but  a  single  variation  in  the  costume  of  the  female — the  occasional 
change  of  color  in  the  only  article  they  wear,  which  bears  the  same 
proportion  to  a  civilized  garment  that  a  waist-band  does  to  a  pair  of 
unmentionables. 

After  passing  this  second  village — one  mounted  on  a  jenny,  and  the 
other  two  in  hammocks  borne  by  natives — we  travelled  along  the  sea- 
beach  about  three-quarters  of  a  mile ;  and  then  turning  to  the  east, 
traversed  a  sandy  prairie  for  two  miles,  and  reached  a  rocky  knoll  at 
its  extremity,  close  upon  the  sea,  where  we  found  some  look-outs  from 
an  adjoining  populous  village.  Pursuing  our  course  between  the  pali- 
sades of  the  latter  and  the  sea,  we  passed  through  another  populous 
village,  and  entered  immediately  upon  the  precincts  of  the  mission. 

A  little  beyond  the  palisade  of  the  last  village  was  a  broad  avenue, 
lined  with  wide-spreading  cocoa-palm  trees,  leading  up  a  gentle  ascent, 
on  the  summit  of  which  was  the  mission-house.  A  little  below  it,  on 
the  left,  we  noticed  the  foundation  and  part  of  the  superstructure  of  a 
large  brick  church. 

The  mission-house  is  a  frame  building,  and  although  seemingly  com- 
modious, resembles  imperfect  joint-work,  presenting  the  appearance  of 
having  been  constructed  in  detached  parts  at  different  intervals. 

The  plan  pursued  in  this  mission  seems  to  be  the  best  adapted  of 
any  I  have  observed  or  heard  of  for  reclaiming  the  African.  By  the 
usage  of  the  tribes,  females  are  contracted  in  childhood,  the  future  hus- 
band making  payment  in  advance,  and  the  father  binding  himself  to 
deliver  up  his  daughter  at  the  marriageable  age.  Heretofore  the  females 
taught  in  the  missions  have  been  claimed  by  those  to  whom  they  were 
affianced,  after  having,  with  apparent  conviction  and  zeal,  embraced 
and  tor  some  years  practised  Christianity.  The  consequence  was,  that 
they  fell  back  to  barbarism.  In  like  manner  the  males,  returning  to 
their  tribes,  would  sink  under  the  pernicious  iufluence  of  polygamy. 
But  Bishop  Payne  (I  believe  that  the  credit  of  the  suggestion  is  due  to 
him)  obviates  the  first  difficulty,  by  paying  the  price  for  a  female  child 
and  receiving  her  into  the  mission,  to  be  educated  by  the  accomplished 
and  devoted  ladies  connected  with  it.     In  like  manner,  the  boys  are 


H.   Doc.   1.  57 

taught  a  trade,  as  well  as  their  catechism  and  grammar,  by  the  reverend 
gentlemen ;  and  when  the  former  attain  the  age  when  heretofore  they 
have  left  to  rejoin  their  tribes,  employment  is  given  them  by  the  mission, 
and  every  inducement  presented  to  marry  one  of  the  educated  native 
females,  and  settle  within  the  precincts.  In  this  way  there  is  now  a 
village  on  the  mission  premises  of  about  sixty  native  Christians,  occu- 
pying comfortable  houses  erected  by  themselves.  This  is  a  slow  and 
expensive,  but  seems  to  be  the  only  effectual,  mode  of  retaining  in  the 
Christian  fold  those  who  have  been  reclaimed  from  barbarism,  and 
whose  descendants  may  prove  powerful  auxiliaries  to  future  messen- 
gers of  the  Gospel. 

I  ascertained  that  it  would  be  almost  impossible  to  cross  the  bar  of 
the  Cavally  river,  except  in  a  boat  during  the  most  favorable  season ;  I 
would  not,  therefore,  detain  the  John  Adams  to  proceed  to  the  mouth  of 
that  river,  as  it  might  take  weeks  to  return  against  the  current  to  Cape 
Palmas,  although  the  distance  is  but  fifteen  miles.  I  determined,  there- 
fore, to  postpone  my  visit  to  the  Cavally  until  the  arrival  of  the  steamer, 
when  it  was  my  purpose  to  make  a  second  and  more  thorough  examin- 
ation of  the  rivers  along  the  coast,  crossing  the  bars  with  the  vessel,  and 
ascending  with  her  as  far  as  possible. 

While  at  Cape  Palmas,  Dr.  McGill,  to  whom  I  am  indebted  for  much 
information  and  great  kindness,  took  me  through  the  hospital  containing 
the  sick  among  the  recently-arrived  emigrants.  As  far  as  I  could  judge, 
the  type  of  fever  in  each  case  was  a  mild  one.  Since  it  has  been  dis- 
covered that  quinine  can  be  administered  in  large  doses,  even  during 
the  paroxysm  of  fever,  the  mortality  among  colored  emigrants,  I  am 
assured,  has  been  diminished  fifty  per  cent.  Such  is  the  adaptability 
of  the  constitution  of  the  colored  man  to  this  climate,  that,  after  recov- 
ering from  sickness,  he  can  attain  and  preserve  his  previous  health  and 
strength.  On  several  occasions,  when  I  could  scarce  endure  the  fiery 
rays  of  the  sun,  colonists  would  be  walking  along  bare-headed,  who 
laughingly  declared  that  they  rather  enjoyed  than  suffered  from  the 
heat.  The  white  man,  on  the  contrary,  never  becomes  acclimated;  and 
after  he  has  undergone  the  ordeal  of  the  fever,  if  he  do  not  recruit  his 
strength  by  seeking  for  a  time  a  more  congenial  climate,  he  will,  accord- 
ing to  his  vital  energy,  meet  with  a  lingering  or  a  speedy  death. 

The  day  after  returning  from  Cavally  I  visited  Rock  Town,  a  mis- 
sionary school  station,  situated  on  a  small  stream  where  it  flows  into 
the  sea,  four  miles  from  Cape  Palmas.  A  projecting  rocky  point  pro- 
tects the  mouth  of  this  river  from  southerly  winds ;  but  the  stream  is 
shallow,  and  its  bar  is  rarely  crossed  by  anything  larger  than  a  canoe. 
Just  within  the  extremity  of  the  point  is  a  Grebo  village,  and  a  short 
distance  from  it,  on  the  opposite  side  of  the  stream,  is  another,  with  its 
Fetish  House,  without  the  palisade.  They  are  populous,  and  although, 
like  all  the  rest,  their  huts  are  placed  irregularly,  the  spaces  between, 
as  in  the  others  also,  are  kept  scrupulously  clean. 

We  found  the  Rev.  Mr-  Home,  with  sallow  complexion,  laboring  in 
his  God-like  vocation,  teaching  Pagan  children  the  rudiments  of  Christ- 
ianity. While  above  stairs,  his  pallid  child  had  just  passed  through, 
and  his  wife  was  undergoing  the  ordeal  of  the  climate,  with  none  but 
native  Africans  around  them,  and  without  necessary  comforts  for  the 


58  H.   Doc.  1. 

sick.  As  I  have  before  said,  this  illustrates  the  true  chivalry  of  the 
Gospel. 

The  country  about  Rock  Town  is  prairie,  with  palm-trees  so  beauti- 
fully interspersed  as  to  convey  the  idea  expressed  by  Major  Laing,  in 
describing  another  section,  of  having  been  planted  expressly  to  adorn 
the  landscape. 

The  soil  is  sandy,  but  far  from  unproductive ;  and  in  Mr.  Home's  gar- 
den I  saw,  besides  a  great  variety  of  vegetables,  fruits,  and  flowers,  indi- 
genous to  the  climate,  a  number  introduced  bj*  him  from  the  West  Indies. 

The  day  after  my  visit  to  Rock  Town  I  was  attacked  by  the  fever, 
and  from  thenceforth  had  not  sufficient  strength  to  make  further  obser- 
vations. 

We  returned  slowly  to  Monrovia  against  the  current,  but,  on  our 
arrival  there,  learned  that  the  steamer  had  neither  been  seen  nor  heard 
from. 

Being  prostrated  a  second  time,  in  consequence  of  exposure  to  the 
sun,  I  requested  Commander  Barron  to  proceed  to  Half-cape  Mount 
river,  whither  President  Roberts  had  gone  with  a  detachment  of  250 
Liberians.  But,  unable  to  land  there  from  weakness,  I  was  forced 
to  consider  my  reconnoissance  at  an  end. 

We  proceeded  to  Sierra  Leone,  where  the  John  Adams  left  me ; 
and  at  the  expiration  of  sixteen  days,  during  which  the  yellow  fever 
made  its  appearance,  I  embarked  for  home,  and  arrived  in  New  York 
on  the  first  of  May. 

In  this  report  I  have  presented  things  exactly  as  they  appeared  to 
me,  and  at  every  place  1  visited  endeavored  to  procure  reliable  in- 
formation, for  thus  I  interpreted  my  instructions. 

It  now  remains  for  me  to  speak  of  the  best  place  to  disembark  an 
exploring  party ;  the  proper  inland  route ;  the  precautions  to  be  taken ; 
and  the  difficulties  to  be  encountered. 

I  consider  Monrovia  the  best  place  for  a  party  to  ride  out  the  fever 
in.  I  believe  it  to  be  as  healthy  as  any  other  settlement  in  Liberia, 
and  good  accommodation  and  nurses  for  the  sick  can  there  be  procured. 
Besides,  the  intercourse  of  its  inhabitants  with  the  interior  is  more  fre- 
quent, and  extends  farther  inland,  than  from  any  other  point  I  am 
aware  of  along  the  coast.  Millsburg,  at  the  head  of  the  navigation  of 
the  St.  Paul's,  I  recommend  as  the  proper  rendezvous,  and  the  point 
from  whence  to  take  up  the  inland  march. 

Boporah,  a  populous  native  town,  of  which  I  have  spoken  in  this 
report,  lies  directly  in  the  path  which  it  seems  to  me  should  be  pur- 
sued, and  it  should  be  reached  as  soon  as  possible,  and  made  the  pivot 
of  operations  for  advancing  inland,  and  keeping  up  a  communication 
with  the  sea-shore. 

The  march  from  Boporah  should  be  regulated  by  the  nature  of  the 
country,  and  the  distance  and  direction  of  the  nearest  mountain  range, 
which  must  form  the  water-shed  between  the  tributary  streams  of  the 
Niger  and  those  which  flow  into  the  Atlantic.  That  range  attained, 
if  it  trend  southeast,  as  it  most  probably  does,  it  might  be  followed  to 
the  parallel  of  Cape  Palmas,  with  a  particular  eye  to  the  country  on 
its  Atlantic  slope,  and  thence  the  expedition  might  descend  and  make 
its  way  to  the  sea. 


H.   Doc.  1.  59 

The  obstacles  to  be  encountered  would  be  a  dense  forest,  (through 
which,  in  many  places,  a  path  could  only  be  cleared  with  the  hatchet,) 
wild  beasts,  the  frequent  morasses,  the  jealousy  and  possible  treachery 
of  the  natives,  and  sometimes  the  scarcity  of  food. 

The  party  should  consist  of  as  few  whites  as  possible.  The  com- 
mander ;  an  officer  to  take  his  place,  should  he  perish ;  a  physician, 
who  should  also  be  a  naturalist ;  and  some  twelve  or  fifteen  colonists, 
would  perhaps  be  sufficient. 

The  energy  of  the  white  man  is  indispensable  for  such  an  under- 
taking ;  but,  from  the  hostility  of  the  climate  to  his  race,  as  few  as 
possible  should  embark  in  it.  The  main  body,  therefore,  should  be 
citizens  of  Liberia;  but  as  no  man  of  resolution  and  judgment  would 
undertake  to  head  them  unless  they  were  under  military  organization, 
and  bound  to  follow  as  long  as  he  led  the  way,  I  suggest  that  if  an  ex- 
pedition be  organized,  the  government  of  Liberia  consent  to  its  citizens 
enlisting  under  the  flag  of  the  United  States,  and  thereby  subject  them- 
selves to  its  martial  code.  All  ought  to  possess  physical  stamina,  and 
the  whites,  especially,  should  be  in  the  vigor  of  life,  and,  if  possible, 
natives  of  our  southern  States. 

I  have  considered  it  my  duty  to  collect  in  my  route  all  the  informa- 
tion I  could  as  to  the  commerce  of  the  places  I  visited.  It  has  been 
presented  in  the  body  of  this  report,  and  few,  I  presume,  are  aware  of 
the  present  magnitude  and  the  annual  increase  of  the  commerce  of 
Western  Africa.  For  further  information  on  this  subject,  I  herewith 
submit  the  official  reports  of  the  British  colonial  possessions,  transmit- 
ted with  the  Blue  Book  to  both  houses  of  Parliament. 

Our  own  proportion  of  the  African  trade  is  very  large,  and  might  be 
rendered  yet  more  extensive  by  forming  treaties  with  the  principal  in- 
dependent tribes  along  the  coast.  England  has  already  negotiated 
eighty  such  treaties,  her  plenipotentiary  being  sometimes  a  lieutenant 
in  her  navy.  To  her  honor  be  it  said,  that  while  looking  to  her  com- 
mercial interests,  she  is  not  forgetful  of  the  claims  of  humanity,  and 
inserts,  wherever  she  can,  a  clause  prohibitory  of  the  slave  trade.  She 
is,  however,  accused  of  reviving  that  trade  in  another  form,  and  I  sub- 
mit in  the  appendix  (No.  1)  a  proclamation  of  the  President  of  Liberia 
on  the  subject. 

I  will  illustrate  the  advantages  of  the  treaties  to  which  I  have 
alluded.  It  is  a  custom  of  the  tribes,  that  all  traffic  with  the  natives 
shall  be  transacted  through  the  kings  and  head  men ;  in  other  words, 
the  head  men  and  kings  are  the  sole  factors  of  their  respective  com- 
munities. By  a  stipulation  of  the  treaty,  these  potentates  become  re- 
sponsible for  the  payment  of  debts  contracted  with  an  English  trader. 
Should  payment  be  withheld  when  due,  (for  the  credit  system  pre- 
vails here  as  well  as  in  the  Christian  world,)  the  trader  seeks  a  British 
man-of-war,  and  communicates  the  circumstance  to  her  commander, 
and  the  latter  repairs  instantly  to  the  place  and  enforces  payment. 
Not  so  with  the  American  trader.  If  his  debtors  are  disposed  to  de- 
fraud him,  he  has  no  redress ;  and  as  native  breach  of  faith  is  not  un- 
frequent,  he  cannot  fairly  compete  with  the  Englishman.  With  this 
report  I  submit  two  maps,  on  a  large  scale — one  of  the  republic  of 
Liberia,  and  the  other  of  Maryland  in  Liberia — together  with  views  of 


60  H.   Doc.  1. 

Monrovia,  the  residence  of  President  Roberts,  Cape  Palmas,  Mount 
Vaughan,  and  Russworm's  monument. 

One  other  thing  I  feel  impelled  to  say  from  a  sense  of  duty,  and  do 
so  most  reluctantly.  But,  if  we  do  not  wish  to  be  accused,  and  per- 
haps justly  accused,  of  observing  the  letter  and  neglecting  the  spirit  ot 
our  treaty  stipulation  with  regard  to  the  slave  trade,  we  will  substitute 
small  but  efficient  steamers  for  sailing-vessels  upon  the  African  station. 
Judging  of  the  future  from  the  past,  I  venture  to  say  that  the  frigate 
Constitution  is  of  little  more  use  in  suppressing  that  trade  than  if  she 
were  in  the  Bay  of  Fundy.  Nor  can  it  scarce  be  otherwise.  From 
Goree  to  Cape  Palmas,  ranging  from  fifty  to  eighty  miles  from  the 
coast,  is  a  misty  region  of  alternate  calms,  light  winds,  currents,  and 
tornadoes,  with  overwhelming  torrents  of  rain,  compared  to  which  the 
refreshing  showers  of  our  own  more  favored  clime  are  as  dew-drops  to 
overflowing  cisterns.  In  the  "  John  Adams,"  we  were  ten  days 
making  a  distance  which  a  steamer  could  have  accomplished  in  thirty- 
six  hours.  From  Monrovia  to  the  island  of  St.  Jago,  vessels  are  often 
forty  days  on  the  passage,  which  a  steamer  could  make  in  five.  In  one 
direction  along  the  coast  it  is  a  drift  with  the  sluggish  current :  in  the 
other,  it  is  working  up  against  it  with  light  and  baffling  winds. 

I  do  not  say  that  the  vessels  we  have  on  the  coast  do  not  sometimes 
protect  our  commercial  interests,  or  are  not  otherwise  serviceable.  I 
have  mentioned  the  "John  Adams"  assisting  a  merchant  vessel  in  dis- 
tress ;  and  I  submit  in  the  appendix  (Nos.  2,  3,  and  4)  some  letters  from 
President  Roberts,  expressing  acknowledgments  for  benefits  derived 
from  our  squadron.  But,  from  the  causes  I  have  enumerated,  our 
cruisers  can  visit  very  few  places  compared  to  the  number  that  should 
be  visited,  and,  as  the  log-books  will  testify,  often  remain  long  at  their 
anchors,  or  make  yet  more  lengthy  passages  to  Madeira  to  recruit — a 
passage  which,  under  canvass  alone,  in  the  teeth  of  the  trade-wind,  is 
often  more  prolonged  and  more  wearing  to  the  ship  than  if  she  came 
directly  home. 

The  service  on  the  coast  of  Africa  needs  an  incentive.  Great  Britain 
has  twenty-seven  vessels-of-war  employed  in  the  suppression  of  the 
slave  trade  on  that  coast,  and  a  large  proportion  of  them  are  steamers, 
mostly  small  "ones.  Her  naval  officers  have  eveiy  inducement  to  seek 
service  on  that  station,  for  he  who  attains  to  a  higher  grade  by  the 
death  of  his  superior  in  rank,  retains  it  permanently,  and  does  not,  as 
with  us,  hold  it  but  temporarily.  The  consequence  is,  that  the  English 
far  surpass  us  in  activity  on  the  coast  of  Africa.  A  very  slight  incen- 
tive would  cause  service  on  that  coast  to  be  coveted  by  our  officers  and 
crews.  Within  a  few  years  two  commanders  have  died  on  that  sta- 
tion. If  the  two  senior  lieutenants  in  the  squadron  had  been  promoted 
permanently,  the  files  of  the  department  would  now  exhibit  more  ap- 
plications from  lieutenants  for  service  on  that  station  than  all  others 
combined.  And  thus  of  every  other  grade,  except  the  highest,  which, 
living  on  its  honors,  should  be  influenced  by  higher  aspirations. 

The  arrogance  of  British  officers  heretofore,  precludes  the  idea  of  an 
agreement  to  search  respectively  the  vessels  of  either  nation.     It  is  a 

Erivilege  which  cannot  be  safely  conceded  to  them,  and  we  must  at  all 
azards  protect  the  integrity  of  our  flag.     But,  for  the  honor  of  our  coun- 


H.   Doc.   1.  61 

try  and  the  protection  of  its  commerce,  it  is  to  be  hoped  that  small 
steamers  will  be  substituted  for  our  sailing-vessels  on  the  African  coast, 
and  that  some  incentive  may  be  presented  which  will  infuse  greater 
activity  among  them,  and  render  them  almost  ubiquitous  in  the  neigh- 
borhood of  the  slave  marts,  and  the  parts  of  the  coast  frequented  by  our 
traders,  instead  of  making  tedious  passages  to  and  from  a  few  places, 
some  of  them  too  remote  by  far,  or  too  long  lying  suggishly  at  their 
anchors. 

Since  my  return  I  have  received  intelligence  from  Sierra  Leone  of 
the  capture  by  British  men-of-war  of  three  slavers,  one  of  them  Ameri- 
can. The  prostitution  of  our  flag,  now  so  much  facilitated  by  sea-let- 
ters, obtained  principally  at  the  consulates  of  Rio  de  Janeiro  and 
Havana,  will  continue,  to  our  disgrace,  until  we  have  vessels  on  the 
coast  of  Africa  propelled  by  steam,  and  manned  with  crews  and  com- 
manded by  officers  who  are  stimulated,  the  one  by  increased  pay  and 
the  hope  of  prize-money,  and  the  other  by  permanent  promotion  when 
vacancies  are  caused  by  death.  The  climate  is  a  trying  one,  and,  as 
in  battle,  the  places  of  those  who  perish  should  be  filled  by  the  sur- 
vivors. 

I  do  not  permit  myself  to  dwell  on  the  necessity  of  incorporating  into 
the  international  code  a  clause  declaring  the  slave-trade  piracy  under 
any  flag ;  nor  on  the  frequent  decisions  of  our  legal  tribunals,  (caused 
by  the  want  of  such  declaration,)  which  have  so  discouraged  our  offi- 
cers. Of  this  want,  and  its  attendant  evil  consequences,  the  govern- 
ment has  been  long  advised. 

In  estimating  the  amount  of  our  African  trade  I  have  been  careful 
not  to  exaggerate,  and  rejected  every  item  not  based  on  authentic  data ; 
but  there  is  so  much  traffic  along  the  coast  in  articles  never  entered  at 
a  custom-house,  that  I  have  reason  to  believe  I  have  given  twenty-five 
per  cent,  less  than  the  actual  imports  ;  and  as  the  profits  are  very 
great,  that  the  exports  exceed  the  estimate  nearly  one  hundred  percent. 
Apart,  therefore,  from  the  suppression  of  the  slave  trade,  our  com- 
merce with  the  west  coast  of  Africa  needs  the  protection  of  an  efficient 
force — efficient  more  in  its  power  of  locomotion  than  in  the  number  of 
its  guns. 

A  knowledge  of  the  disadvantages  under  which  our  countrymen 
labor  who  trade  along  that  coast,  has  induced  these  concluding  re- 
marks, and  I  trust  they  will  not  be  considered  inappropriate. 

I  have  the  honor  to  be,  veiy  respectfully,  &c, 

W.  F.  LYNCH,  Commander,  U.  S.  N. 

Hon.  J.  C.  Dobbin,  Secretary  of  the  Navy. 


No.  1. 

Proclamation. 

Whereas  Messrs.  Hyde,  Hodge  &  Co.,  of  London,  contractors  with 
her  Britannic  Majesty's  government  to  furnish  laborers  from  the  African 
coast  for  the  West  Indies,  have  sent  some  of  their  ships  to  the  coast  of 
the  republic,  offering  an  advance  of  ten  dollars  for  every  person  who 
may  be  induced  to  emigrate;  and  whereas  the  extinction  of  the  slave- 


62  H.    Doc.  1. 

trade  has  left  large  numbers  of  predial  and  other  laborers  in  the  pos- 
session of  the  chiefs  and  principal  men  of  the  country,  while  the  offer 
often  dollars  each  is  nearly  equivalent  to  the  amount  formerly  paid  for 
slaves  during  the  prevalence  of  the  slave  trade,  and  which  operated 
mainly  in  producing  and  sustaining  the  wars  by  which  the  country  was 
distracted;  and  whereas  certain  refractory  chiefs  are  reported  to  have 
engaged  with  the  agents  of  said  company  to  furnish  a  number  of  labor- 
ers, and  are  further  known  to  have  in  concealment  near  Grand  Cape 
Mount  a  number  of  the  unhappy  victims  of  their  predatory  excursions  ; 
and  whereas  complaint  has  been  made  to  the  government  that  persons 
are  held,  to  be  sent  off  without  their  voluntary  consent,  or  the  consent 
of  their  natural  guardians  :  therefore,  to  prevent  the  abuses  and  evils 
which  might  otherwise  result  from  the  enterprise — 

Be  it  known  by  this  proclamation  to  all  whom  it  may  concern,  that 
the  law  regulating  passports  must  be  strictly  observed  ;  that  vessels 
carrying,  or  intending  to  carry  away  immigrants,  must  come  to  this 
port  with  their  immigrants  on  board  to  obtain  passports,  in  order  that 
an  opportunity  may  be  presented  to  the  government  to  ascertain 
whether  the  emigration  be  tree  or  constrained.  Every  violation  of  the 
law  regulating  passports  will  be  visited  with  the  utmost  penalty  of  the 
law  in  that  case  made  and  provided. 

Done  at  Monrovia,  this  twenty-sixth  day  of  February,  in  the  year  of 
r  -.  our  Lord  one  thousand  eight  hundred  and  fifty-three,  and  of  the 
LL*  S'J  republic  the  fifth.  J.  J.  ROBERTS. 

By  the  President : 

H.  Teague,  Secretary  of  State. 


No.  2. 


Government  House, 

Monrovia,  November  16,  1851. 

Sir  :  I  have  just  received  despatches  from  Grand  Bassa,  announc- 
ing that  a  formidable  attack  was  made  yesterday  morning,  about 
7  o'clock,  upon  the  settlement  of  Bassa  Cove,  by  a  force  of  about  one 
thousand  Fishmen  and  Bassas.  After  a  vigorous  contest  of  nearly  one 
hour,  they  were  repulsed  with  considerable  loss  on  their -part.  The 
enemy  has  retired;  but,  it  is  confidently  believed,  only  to  return  and  to 
renew  the  attack  with  increased  force  and  vigor.  The  settlers  there 
are  worn  down  with  watching  and  fatigue,  and  cannot  sustain  them- 
selves much  longer,  without  aid  in  men  and  ammunition.  This  is 
earnestly  craved  in  the  despatches,  and  we  are  now  preparing  to  ren- 
der them  the  desired  succor ;  but  it  will  require  some  two  or  three 
days  to  make  the  necessary  preparations  here,  and  as  many  more  days 
perhaps  will  be  occupied  in  reaching  the  scene  of  hostilities.  As  the 
natives  expect  and  dread  a  reinforcement  from  this  place,  their  object 
will  be  to  anticipate  it,  and  to  strike  a  decisive  blow  ere  it  arrive. 
The  presence  of  your  vessel  here,  just  at  this  crisis,  seems  most  oppor- 
tune and  providential.  I  have,  therefore,  to  throw  myself,  and  the 
perilous  and  exposed  condition  of  our  leeward  settlements,  upon  your 
friendly  consideration,  and  solicit,  most  earnestly,  that  you  will  make  it 
convenient  to  take  me  to  Bassa,  a  distance  of  only  about  sixty  miles.     I 


H.   Doc.   1.  63 

am  of  the  opinion,  as  are  also  those  whom  I  have  consulted,  that  the 
presence  of  your  vessel  there,  and  the  interest  in  our  cause  which  your 
taking  me  down  would  indicate  to  them,,  would  effectually  deter  the 
natives,  and  stay  an  immediate  blow,  and  thus  afford  an  opportunity  to 
reinforce  Bassa  Cove  and  put  it  in  a  state  of  security. 

I  hope,  sir,  you  may  find  it  convenient  to  lend  us  the  aid  of  the 
presence  of  the  ship  under  your  command,  at  the  scene  of  hostilities. 
Be  assured,  sir,  it  is  nothing  less  than  the  call  of  humanity  for  the 
protection  of  hundreds  of  almost  wholly  defenceless  women  and  chil- 
dren from  the  brutal  rage  and  fury  of  savages ;  for  if  Bassa  should  be 
carried  by  them,  we  shall  have  nothing  to  entertain  but  the  most 
gloomy  anticipations  for  all  our  leeward  settlements,,  and  our  numerous 
traders  along  the  coast. 

As  it  is  of  the  utmost  importance  that  I  should,  by  my  arrival  at 
Bassa,  anticipate  an  attack  by  the  natives,  I  shall  hold  myself  ready  to 
embark  whenever  you  shall  be  pleased  to  give  me  notice. 
I  have  the  honor  to  be  your  obedient  servant, 

J.  J.  ROBERTS,  President. 

Captain  W.  Pearson,   United  States  Ship  Dale. 


No.  3. 


Government  House, 

Monrovia,  January  24,  1852. 

Sir  :  Accompanying  is  a  letter  which  I  beg  you  will  take  in  charge 
for  Commodore  Lavallette.  I  have  not  been  able,  in  consequence  of 
the  numerous  engagements  pressing  upon  me  just  at  this  time,  to  give 
the  commodore  as  full  details  of  our  campaign  as  I  could  wish ;  and 
I  have  taken  the  liberty — for  which  I  beg  your  indulgence — to  refer  to 
you  for  such  further  particulars  of  our  operations  as  may  have  come  to 
your  knowledge.  I  enclose  herewith  a  copy  of  the  communication  I 
have  addressed  to  the  commodore. 

Permit  me  here,  sir,  to  present — which  I  beg  you  will  accept — my 
sincere  thanks  for  the  services  you  have  rendered  the  people  of  this 
republic  in  their  present  difficulties.  I  am  fully  sensible  of  the  obli- 
gations we  are  under  to  you.  I  know,  sir,  that  we  have  had  your  sym- 
pathies and  good  wishes  with  us  in  all  our  operations,  and  that  you 
would  willingly  have  afforded  us  other  and  more  important  services  had 
circumstances  rendered  it  necessary. 

I  beg  to  assure  you,  sir,  that  your  kindness  will  never  be  forgotten 
by  your  most  obedient,  humble  servant, 

J.  J.  ROBERTS. 

Captain  S.  Barron, 

U.  S.  Ship  John  Adams. 


No.  4. 

Government  House, 

Monrovia,  January  24,  1852. 
Sir  :  I  have  had  the  honor  of  receiving  your  esteemed  favor  of 
December  12th,  by  Captain  Barron,  of  the  United  States  ship  John 


64  H.   Doc.   1. 

Adams,  which  vessel,  on  hearing  of  our  difficulties  with  the  natives  of 
Grand  Bassa,  you  very  kindly  despatched  to  aid  us  "  in  such  meas- 
ures as  might  be  deemed  necessary  to  establish  full  confidence  in  the 
minds  of  the  settlers  of  their  security,  by  assurances  of  protection  to 
them  by  the  naval  forces  of  the  United  States  when  their  situation 
needs  it." 

This  kind  feeling  of  concern  for  the  security  and  future  welfare  of 
Liberia,  and  the  sentiments  of  benevolence  you  so  kindly  express,  sir, 
are  sensibly  felt  and  deeply  appreciated  by  the  whole  people  of  this 
republic.  Your  goodness  in  sending  them  aid,  at  a  time  when  they  so 
much  needed  the  countenance  and  support  of  a  foreign  power,  to  con- 
vince their  enemies  that  they  are  not  forgotten  nor  neglected  in  time  of 
peril,  places  us  under  renewed  obligations  to  your  government  and  to 
yourself;  and  I  assure  you,  sir,  your  kindness  in  this  instance  will  en- 
dure with  the  history  of  Liberia,  and  I  fancy  will  never  be  erased  from 
the  memory  of  her  citizens.  And  in  their  behalf  I  have  the  honor  to 
present,  and  I  beg  you  will  accept,  sincere  thanks  and  grateful  ac- 
kno  wled  gments. 

Captain  Barron  arrived  at  Monrovia  two  days  after  my  departure 
with  a  body  of  troops  for  Grand  Bassa ;  without  delay  he  proceeded 
to  join  us  at  this  latter  place,  where  he  arrived  and  communicated  with 
me  earl}'-  in  the  evening  of  the  1st  instant.  It  would  be  impossible  to 
describe  to  you  the  bursts  of  joy  that  ran  through  our  little  camp  when 
the  arrival  of  the  "  John  Adams,"  and  the  object  of  her  visit,  were 
announced. 

Having  just  returned  to  this  place,  and  the  time  of  the  departure  of 
the  "John  Adams"  being  up,  I  cannot  give  you  the  details  of  our 
movements,  and  must  beg  to  refer  you  to  Captain  Barron  for  particu- 
lars. Our  operations  have  been  mostly  inland,  from  ten  to  fifteen 
miles  parallel  with  the  beach,  and  extending  along  the  coast  about 
thirty-five  miles.  The  presence  of  the  "John  Adams"  at  certain  points 
of  the  coast  along  the  line  of  our  march,  no  doubt,  had  a  favorable 
effect,  and  tended  much  to  keep  the  natives  near  the  coast  in  check, 
and  also  afford  us  certain  means  of  communication. 

I  have  great  satisfaction  in  stating  that  Captain  Barron  readily  met 
my  wishes  in  placing  his  ship  off  such  points  of  the  coast  where  it  was 
deemed  his  presence  would  be  most  important;  and  also  tendered 
his  services  to  assist  us  in  any  other  way  consistent  with  his  duty  and 
instructions. 

I  am  happy  to  inform  you  that  the  campaign,  though  it  has  been  an 
exceedingly  fatiguing  one,  has  terminated  quite  to  our  satisfaction. 
We  have  given  the  deluded  enemy  a  chastisement  which  he  will  long 
remember,  and,  I  doubt  not,  will  relieve  us  from  any  trouble  or  diffi- 
culty in  future  in  that  quarter.  We  had  two  severe  engagements  ;  in 
the  last  we  had  four  killed  and  twenty-seven  wounded,  two  of  whom 
have  since  died  ;  the  others  are  doing  well,  and  will  probably  recover. 

With  many  thanks,  high  regard  and  esteem,  I  have  the  honor  to  be, 
sir,  most  respectfully,  your  obedient  and  humble  servant, 

J.  J.  ROBERTS. 

Com.  E.  A.  F.  Lavallette, 

Commanding  U.  S.  Naval  Forces  west  coast  of  Africa. 


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